CRACKYL Magazine - No.10 (Summer Issue 2023)

MENTAL TEMPERATURE

ARE YOU USING YOUR FILTER OF REASON?

MONEY CAN BUY HAPPINESS

MAKING THE CONNECTION BETWEEN SCIENCE AND FIREFIGHTING SAFETY

LET’S MAKE IT A LIFE-WORK BALANCE

THE FIREHOUSE KITCHEN TABLE

BETTER SLEEP

FOR PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH

WHAT

YOU ALIVE

THE TRX SUSPENSION TRAINER

Understanding the Risks of PFAS

PFAS are a group of synthetic chemicals present in turnout gear and fire fighting foam. These “forever chemicals” have been linked to cancers including testicular, kidney, bladder, and other diseases.

Helping Fire Fighters with Cancer

Call

800-583-7120

SCAN ME

McGrath Coffinas & Cannavo P.C. are proud to join forces, assembled by the IAFF to fight for those made sick by PFAS exposure at work.

GENERATIONS TO BREAK DOWN

GENERATIONS TO BREAK IN

STAND TOGETHER

The National Firefighter Registry (NFR) is the largest effort undertaken to understand and reduce cancer among U.S. firefighters.

Studies have shown that firefighters’ exposure on the fireground may increase their risk of cancer. The more firefighters who sign up for the NFR, the more we can understand the link between firefighting and cancer. Sign up from your phone or computer. All firefighters – paid or volunteer, active or retired, with or without cancer – can join.

JOIN THE NATIONAL FIREFIGHTER REGISTRY NFR.CDC.GOV

filter of reason? 49 74

THE FIREHOUSE KITCHEN TABLE

FASTING WITH EXERCISE

SCIENCE & FIREFIGHTING SAFETY

KILL YOUR RELATIONSHIPS

WHAT KEEPS YOU ALIVE MIGHT

IN THE FIRE SERVICE

PROFESSIONAL PSYCHOLOGY

IS YOUR MENTAL TEMPERATURE IN CHECK?

MAKING THE CONNECTION BETWEEN FEATURED in this issue 76

The National Firefighter Registry (NFR) for Cancer is the largest effort ever undertaken to understand and reduce the risk of cancer among U.S. firefighters. The NFR is open to all U.S. firefighters, not just those with a previous diagnosis of cancer. Having many types of firefighters join the NFR is crucial to examining relationships between firefighter activities and cancer. NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health) encourages all firefighters to participate in the NFR.

By joining the NFR you are helping to protect your brother and sister firefighters from developing cancer, helping to lessen the impact of cancer on firefighters’ families and friends, paving the way for new health and safety measures to keep the next generation of firefighters safe, and improving the understanding of cancer risk among minority, female, and volunteer firefighters, as well as groups like wildland firefighters.

A LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER

Firefighters have heroes too. But they’re not the typical caped crusaders with superhuman abilities. These heroes are the doctors and scientists who work tirelessly to ensure that we can do our job safely while avoiding health risks. These experts often go unrecognized, but their contributions are crucial to our success.

Whether it is the design of our stations, the food we eat, the gear we wear, or the equipment we wield, it's time we acknowledge and appreciate them for all they do for us. Firefighters are often guilty of resisting change, but when it comes to our health and safety, the obvious cannot be ignored - without those two things, we cannot be firefighters.

Let's do our part by participating in the surveys and studies that are working to help find solutions to the external factors that affect our well-being, and ultimately, our happiness and success.

Enjoy!

Kory Pearn

CEO

WHY THE NAME CRACKYL?

The inspiration behind the name CRACKYL comes from a feeling firefighters experience in the middle of a structure fire when a sudden calm comes over you and you hear a fire crackling all around a smoke-filled room, but can’t see it. The sound of a fire crackling is imprinted on every firefighter’s mind, and it roots us in this exhilarating and unpredictable profession. We want CRACKYL to become a sounding board for firefighters throughout their careers.

Firefighters are notorious for sitting around the firehouse, discussing their problems and offering advice. But the truth is, many of us don’t have the answers. We don’t know why we all fight about the same problems with our partners, never seem to have enough money left at the end of the month, and just can’t get along with the co-workers who are the most like us. At CRACKYL, we want to be the firefighter in the station who has a lot of those answers and provides accurate, practical, and life-changing solutions to the problems we all face.

EDITORIAL

PUBLISHER / CEO KORY PEARN KPEARN@CRACKYLBUSINESSMEDIA.COM

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF LIZ FLEMING

DIGITAL EDITOR LEAH SOBON

COPY EDITOR MARTHA CHAPMAN EDITOR@CRACKYLBUSINESSMEDIA.COM

DESIGN

EDITORIAL DESIGNER SARAH ROSS

EDITORIAL DESIGNER NICOLE MANNELL

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

DYLAN LABELLE DLABELLE@CRACKYLBUSINESSMEDIA.COM

SALES

PUBLISHER / CEO KORY PEARN KPEARN@CRACKYLBUSINESSMEDIA.COM

ACCOUNT & SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

MARIA PELLETIER MPELLETIER@CRACKYLBUSINESSMEDIA.COM

PARTNERSHIPS

PARTNERSHIP MANAGER

MATT RUMAS MRUMAS@CRACKYLBUSINESSMEDIA.COM

CONTRIBUTORS

CHRISTINA BOTT, JOHN CATOUL, MARTHA CHAPMAN, HOWARD A. COHEN, BRANDON DREIMAN, LIZ FLEMING, GREG GORDONSON, TRACY HEJMANOWSKI, DONNIE HUTCHINSON, CHELSEA KAVANAUGH, DANIELLE COOK KAWASH, VIRGINIA LOEWENSTINE, RICK MARKLEY, RICK MAURO, SABRINA PIRILLO, RYAN PROVENCHER, TRACEY O’SHEA, SUNJYA SCHWEIG, LEAH SOBON, KRISTEN WHELDON COMIC

CARTOONIST JEFF MAKSUTA

CRACKYL Magazine is published four times a year by CRACKYL Media Inc. with copies delivered to firefighters across North America and beyond. No part of the content, including but not limited to editorial, advertising or photography, may be copied or reprinted without the permission of the publisher. ISSN # 2563-612X

PUBLISHED AND PRODUCED BY: CRACKYL MEDIA INC.

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The opinions presented in our magazine are those of the authors of the articles. We enjoy the opportunity to present a variety of viewpoints but do not necessarily endorse them.

ON THE COVER: SARA JAHNKE

CRACKYL EXPERTS

EMERGENCY MEDICINE

MICHAEL GUIRGUIS, M.D. BEN TANNER, EMERGENCY MEDICINE PA

EXERCISE SCIENCE

ANTHONY DE BENEDICTIS, CAT(C), CSCS TODD CAMBIO, BS, BA, CSCS BRITTANY S. HOLLERBACH, PH.D.

JIM MCDONALD, NSCA, CPT, CSCS, TSAC-F HUSSIEN JABAI, MS, CSCS, TSAC-F, CPT JOE KOZIKOWSKI, NSCA-TSAC-F, PN2, PPSC

FINANCE

TRISH VAN SICKLE, LLQP, CSC MATTHEW BROOM, BBA, CFP

INTEGRATIVE HEALTH

NOAH GENTNER, PH.D., NBC-HWC

MENTAL HEALTH

ASHWIN PATEL, PH.D

ANASTASIA MILLER, PH.D.

SARA A. JAHNKE, PH.D.

SIMON MATTHEWS, FASLM DIPLLBLM, MHLTH SC, NBC-HWC, ICF-PCC

NUTRITION

MAUREEN STOECKLEIN, RD

MEGAN LAUTZ, MS, RD, TSAC-F

PATRICK MCCARTHY, MS

SEX & RELATIONSHIPS

CARRIE FLEETWOOD, B.A., M.ED., R.P. O.A.M.H.P.

DERMATOLOGY

SANOBER PEZAD DOCTOR, PH.D

SLEEP HEALTH

BEVERLY DAVID, REGISTERED PSYCHOLOGIST PH.D., CLIN.PSY.D, CLIN.PSYCH

STRESS

WENDY LUND, BSCN, MSC

DONNIE HUTCHINSON, MBA, PHD TINA BONNETT, ED.D, M.ECED., R.E.C.E., CERTIFIED TRAUMA INTEGRATION CLINICIAN

TRAINING

JOHN HOFMAN, CSCS-D, TSAC-F D, MS HUSSIEN JABAI, MS, CSCS

JAKE PATTEN, SCCC, TSAC-F, USAW, PN-1 AARON ZAMZOW, BS-HEALTH AND WELLNESS, NSCA-CSCS, NASM-CPT, ACE-PEER FITNESS, PN1 DAVID VAUX, MSC

WELLNESS

DANIELLE COOK KAWASH, MS, RD, NBC-HWC ALWYN WONG, BSC, DC, ART, MED. AC.

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS

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ARE YOU USING YOUR

FILTER OF REASON?

By Liz Fleming

ROD STEWART PROBABLY SAID IT BEST:

“I WISH THAT I KNEW WHAT I KNOW NOW WHEN I WAS YOUNGER.”

Rod’s right – we do get wiser as we get older – it’s the big reward for wrinkles and grey hair. The question is this…is there any way to increase the wisdom without adding the years? Can we get smarter faster?

No brain-boosting vitamin supplement’s going to do the trick and, so far, there’s no mind-sharpening surgery available. Our best strategy for wiser decision making is to use the same filter of reason that keeps us safe on the job every day. The filter of reason is a mental framework that can be put to work in the midst of any challenging situation – whether we’re on the fire truck, in the firehouse or at home with our family and friends. Quite simply, it’s a logical decision-making

process that tells us when our impulses are about to get us into trouble.

Remember that time when you impulsively chose to go out for a few drinks with the team when you could – and should – have gone to your daughter’s soccer game instead? If you’d turned on your filter of reason before you headed to the bar, you wouldn’t have disappointed your daughter or had to deal with the death stare from your partner for the next week.

clarity, relevance, logical consistency, evidence and fairness.

Let’s go back to that afterwork trip to the bar. A quick check of your calendar would have clarified your daughter’s soccer schedule and you’d have realized that it was not only relevant to her, but to you and your partner as well. The logical choice, based on the

OUR BEST STRATEGY FOR WISER DECISION MAKING IS TO USE THE SAME FILTER OF REASON THAT KEEPS US SAFE ON THE JOB EVERY DAY.

The filter of reason is a straightforward process of questioning and analysis. That all sounds complex and scientific, but the truth is you’re simply looking for

evidence of your daughter’s enthusiasm for the game and for having both of her parents in the stands would have convinced you that the fair choice was to go to her game.

Filter of reason thinking isn’t a long, drawn out process: sometimes it happens in a split second. Imagine that you’ve been talking about getting a new car. A big purchase, it’s something you’ll want to research and consider carefully so you don’t end up with crippling monthly payments that could strain your budget to the bursting point. Your ego may be urging you to go for the top-of-the-line models, but if you run the numbers through your filter of reason, you might decide that you won’t be happy paying the piper – and the bank – for years to come.

Collecting and analyzing data is key to this kind of thinking as is the ability to reason critically and

objectively, set aside any preconceived notions or biases, and approach situations with an open mind. Filter of reason thinking involves considering all possible options and outcomes to make fact and evidencebased decisions rather than making assumptions or simply trusting your gut.

Whether you’re at a family dinner or sitting around the firehouse kitchen table with your crew, you’re always building, testing and stretching alliances that involve your filter of reason. If you’ve ever flown off the handle during an argument and said things you wish you hadn’t, consider turning on your filter of reason the next time you feel your temper heating up. Use it to navigate those challenging emotions, biases, and preconceived notions that can sometimes interfere with effective communication and damage relationships.

Was your son really being disrespectful when he didn’t answer your question immediately? Run his response through your filter of reason and you might decide that he was distracted, tired or simply didn’t hear you. Rather than responding with impulsive anger, you might have chosen to move closer to him, put your arm around his shoulders and repeat your question in a calm, logical way that will get you what you really wanted –an answer.

Your filter of reason will also help you to listen actively to that answer (you do have to want to hear what’s being said). Firefighters are

trained to listen carefully, take differing perspectives into account, actively seek out alternative points of view, ask questions to clarify understanding, and avoid making assumptions or judgments based on limited information. Use those skills off the job too. The better you understand your children, your partner, your friends and your colleagues, the stronger your bonds will be.

Managing emotions is another key use of your filter of reason thinking. Highpressure situations at work often cause frustration and anger, but putting your filter of reason into action can help you evaluate and defuse situations before they cause emotional blowups you’ll later regret.

Imagine coming home after a long, challenging shift to find that your neighbor’s kids have left their bikes lying across the end of your driveway – again –meaning that you have to get out of your car to move them before you can pull in. Your angry impulse is to roll right over those damned bikes (they’d make a very satisfying crunch, after all) but if you activate your filter of reason, and evaluate the options for a hot minute, logic will tell you that there’s a better choice. Crushed bikes will have to be replaced – to the tune of many hundreds of dollars – and your relationship with your neighbors will be permanently damaged. Unless you or they are ready to put a for-sale sign on the lawn, you’ll stir up a world of tension for the foreseeable future. And you

don’t want that. Your filter of reason will tell you to move the bikes to the neighbor’s front porch and follow up with a firm phone call… after you’ve cooled down. In the short term, you’ll avoid buying new bikes and the long term effect will be to create a happier home situation.

Filter of reason thinking emphasizes the importance of empathy and respect in

dealing with every person we encounter, each of whom has a unique perspective, set of experiences and needs. That approach not only defuses anger and tension but also leads to continuous personal learning and improvement. Stay open to feedback and be willing to make changes to your communication style and you’ll inevitably build better relationships. Setting aside assumptions or biases and approaching family conversation and commitments with an open mind and a willingness to manage emotions can make a huge difference.

We all realize that setting priorities can be a challenge, particularly when your job is demanding and opportunities for blowing off steam can seem far too few. Don’t you deserve to play golf occasionally? Isn’t that night out with your coworkers an important way to decompress? Shouldn’t you be able to treat yourself to a few luxuries in life?

Of course you should and of course you are. And your filter of reason won’t automatically prevent you from any of these things. What it will do is enable you to see conflicts with your plans and desires as they arise and help you to determine what’s reasonable and fair, what’s comfortable and effective and, ultimately, what’s going to be best for you and those around you. Playing a round of golf or having a night out with your buddies are great recreational choices, provided they don’t prevent you from spending important time with your family. Buying that great new vehicle could be a wonderful choice if it gives you joy and a worry-free, reliable means of transportation. You just need to run the options through your filter of reason to be sure that it won’t become a financial burden, instead of the treat it was meant to be.

Using the filter of reason thinking is like consulting an older, wiser version of yourself – one that can offer you the benefit of sound judgement and an understanding of the future effects that might result from choices you make today. Your filter of reason recognizes your current needs, desires, challenges and emotions and can help you to avoid bad decisions and make good choices. It’s a great way to get smarter faster!

IT'S LIKE CONSULTING AN OLDER, WISER VERSION OF YOURSELF

WEAR ARE YOU NOW?

WEARABLE DEVICES THAT OPTIMIZE PERFORMANCE, HEALTH AND LONGEVITY

By Sunjya Schweig, MD and Tracey O’Shea, FNP-C.

SINCE 2016, CCFM HAS PROVIDED DATA-DRIVEN FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE HEALTH AND WELLNESS PROGRAMS FOR FIRST RESPONDERS - FIREFIGHTERS IN PARTICULAR

There’s nothing like a new piece of equipment – what’s not to love? When any new firefighting apparatus comes into service, a rigorous maintenance schedule is put in place to ensure that all parts of the rig are working optimally. Hundreds of sensors on and in the apparatus constantly monitor and provide real-time feedback. If maintenance is needed, a warning light may appear on the dashboard.

It’s unfortunate that this same level of monitoring, feedback, and maintenance hasn’t been used for the human side of the equation, the individual firefighter!

While being a firefighter is an incredibly rewarding and important profession, we all know that there are serious, high-risk occupational health concerns to be dealt with. And they are many, from sleep and circadian rhythm disruption, to obesity and metabolic syndrome, heart disease (including heart attack and sudden cardiac death), behavioral health issues such as PTSD, substance abuse, depression, and even suicide. There can be injuries to key body areas (for example the neck, back, shoulder, knees, etc.) And of course, toxin exposure and inflammation –firefighters face it all.

It's no surprise that risk mitigation and health outcome improvements are always a hot topic of discussion – and nothing is more cutting-edge than the use of wearable technology. Firefighters are now able to access

widely-available devices and datadriven insights to help guide lifestyle and health decisions to enable them to perform at their best.

You may already be familiar with much of the wearable technology now used to enhance firefighter safety while on duty. Chemical and external temperature sensors, wearable EKGs to detect early signs of cardiac events during training, and monitors to assess air contamination levels on the fire ground and in structures post-fire.

WHAT YOU MIGHT NOT BE FAMILIAR WITH ARE THE HEALTH TRACKING WEARABLES AVAILABLE TO SUPPORT HEALTHIER WELLBEING AND CAREER LONGEVITY FOR FIREFIGHTERS.

KEEPING TRACK

Continuous monitoring enables you to adjust daily decision-making to directly benefit your health with real-time feedback showing the immediate impact of interventions.

There are trackers to alert you when your temperature or resting heart rate is elevated – a clue that you may have low resilience or be fighting an infection and might need to take it easy with your workout. Other monitors show the positive impact a

breathing exercise has on heart rate reduction and HRV improvement post-call.

You might see alerts for highlyconcerning issues like heart rate and rhythm changes or simply have benign notifications reminding you to get up and move your body. Remember: sitting is the new smoking! Many studies show that regular non-exercise movement throughout the day improves overall

health outcomes, so a little nudge from your wearable may seem trivial but could help save your life in the long term.

Being connected keeps us engaged, whether it’s a challenge with yourself to fill your activity rings and get your steps in, or a friendly competition with fellow firefighters to see which crew can get the best readiness scores on your Oura ring.

WHAT SHOULD I PAY ATTENTION TO?

HEART RATE ARIABILITY

Heart rate variability (HRV) is a key marker that reflects an individual’s capacity to respond effectively to environmental demands. The higher the variability, the more optimally functional and “reset” your body is. Your heart rate variability shows the variance in time between the beats of your heart. For example, if your heart rate is 70 beats per minute, there may be .08 seconds between two separate beats or 1.1 seconds between two other beats. A high HRV is a sign of a

balanced nervous system and shows that your body is capable of adapting to and performing optimally in its environment. A low HRV tends to represent a reduced capacity to effectively adjust and respond to stressful stimuli.

This is particularly relevant for first responders who are continually confronted with diverse challenges that require a wide range of behavioral responses. It’s vital to

TIPS FOR TRACKING HRV PATTERNS:

• Measure it while at rest or stationary (overnight or while lying in bed).

optimize heart rate variability to have a greater range of physiological flexibility. HRV can be impacted negatively by stress, illness, alcohol consumption, impaired sleep, toxins, workouts that are too intense, etc., but can be improved by restorative sleep, balanced workout or workload, healthy eating habits, mindfulness practices, and appropriate work-torest ratios.

• Measure for at least five minutes – the longer the recording, the more accurate the average HRV value.

• Single HRV readings or daily averages may not be as useful as focusing on trends to track when HRV dipped or increased in relation to external influences like diet, alcohol consumption, exercise, workload, and stress.

• Use HRV patterns to adjust your daily routine to support overall health. For instance, if you had a high volume call shift and your HRV was impacted negatively, consider taking it easy the next day with rest and supportive health interventions until your HRV normalizes.

RESTING HEART RATE

Resting heart rate (RHR) is an indicator of both long and shortterm health. In the long-term, a low RHR is generally a sign of better cardiovascular health, physical fitness, and recovery, while in the short term, a high RHR can be caused by things you can have more control over such as external stressors, eating patterns, circadian

disruption, light exposure at night, and incorrect exercise habits. You can use RHR data to gain a better understanding of how well your body is recovering from a workout, life stressor, high volume call shift, and more.

The pattern of a lower than normal HRV and a higher than normal

TIPS FOR INTERPRETING YOUR RHR PATTERNS

RHR is a strong indicator that your body is under stress and needs rest. Becoming more mindful about how you schedule your workouts or commitments outside of work can go a long way to helping you cope with the intense stress and demands of your job.

• If your lowest RHR of the night is 0-10 BPM below your personal long-term average (collected over the last two months), this suggests that your body has recovered well and is performing at optimal levels that day.

• An elevated RHR often indicates that something is challenging your system and leading to poor recovery. Use this as a signal that you need to prioritize rest, relaxation, a healthy diet, hydration, and restorative movement.

• If your lowest RHR occurs in the first half of the night, it may signal that you’ve recovered well from the previous day's activities.

• Activities that may impact your nighttime RHR include: late meals, evening workouts, alcohol consumption, hydration, illness, or shift work.

WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY CAN ENABLE YOU TO BE PROACTIVE IN MANAGING AND PROTECTING YOUR BODY AND HEALTH.

BODY TEMPERATURE

Measuring and tracking body temperature in relation to external influences can help you make decisions about recovery, intensity of exercise, how “big” to go when having fun or partying, and more. Using wearables that track your baseline average temperature and report variations can let you know if something is challenging your body and preventing it from maintaining your ideal temperature range.

Spotting short-term trends might help you see if you are coming down with a cold, while in women longer trends can suggest hormone shifts in a menstrual cycle. Body temperature patterns can also be impacted by alcohol consumption, a hot or cold ambient environment and sleep deprivation.

Firefighters experience significant occupational exposures that can

FEATURED WEARABLES

contribute to serious health risks, but wearable technology can enable you to be proactive in managing and protecting your body and health.

BECOMING KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT YOUR BODY AND ITS INTERNAL PHYSIOLOGICAL SIGNALS CAN BE VITAL FOR SUPPORTING OVERALL HEALTH AND LONGEVITY

WHOOP

WHOOP analyzes your key metrics like HRV and resting heart rate to determine a daily recovery score, and shows you how specific lifestyle and training behaviors affect recovery. See improvements and irregularities in key vitals like heart rate, skin temperature, blood oxygen, and more. WHOOP helps you recover faster, train smarter and sleep better.

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Monitor your HR for 24 hours, get real time vibration alerts, plus measure changes in your metrics including strain, HR, activity load, training load, body shock, & health tracking. The Frontier X2 is versatile which means you can use it for both indoor and outdoor training - regardless of the conditions.

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EASEALERT

EaseAlert provides personal alerting devices which reduce stress and improve efficiency for emergency responders. EaseAlert Wearables deliver a vibration while BunkAlerts shine low-impact red LEDs to reduce sleep inertia and improve vision at night. In addition to enhanced alerting throughout daytime activities, these tactile & visual alerts reliably wake responders from sleep without causing a startle response.

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FOURTH FRONTIER

IF YOUR ACTIONS CREATE A LEGACY THAT INSPIRES OTHERS TO DREAM MORE, LEARN MORE, DO MORE AND BECOME MORE, THEN, YOU ARE AN EXCELLENT LEADER.

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MORAL INJURY

We don’t need another diagnosis

By Chelsea Kavanaugh, MS, CHES ® and Christina Bott, MA

Chances are you’ve heard the term “moral injury” used in articles and discussions about firefighter wellness. What is moral injury?

Moral injury occurs when you face situations or respond to calls that violate your personal values and moral beliefs.

In talking with first responders including firefighters, certain themes have emerged as they express their thoughts about this topic. Similar to

the cultural shift in acknowledging and talking more openly about the mental health and wellbeing of fire and EMS professionals, it seems that there are always new conditions and disorders to concern ourselves with.

Moral injury isn’t a new concept, and it’s not a mental health diagnosis. Even if you don’t consider yourself particularly spiritual or religious, you probably possess core beliefs about what’s right and wrong.

So if you do something or witness something that goes against what you believe to be right or ethical, your brain will try to process it logically and come to terms with what’s happened. You’ll feel a sense of moral distress until it’s resolved in your mind. And if you’re not able to resolve the distress caused by the conflict of what happened and what you feel should have happened, it can lead to moral injury.

Although moral injury and PTSD have similar features, PTSD is associated with your brain’s response to dangerous or life-threatening situations, while moral injury is linked to feelings that result from serious violations of your ethics, values, or moral beliefs. Moral injury gives a name to difficult experiences that may or may not include trauma and have a negative impact on your mental wellbeing.

Everyone has their own set of personal values and moral beliefs, so events that cause moral distress will naturally vary from person to person. Have you ever made a mistake that harmed someone else? Have you been upset about senseless calls you’ve had to respond to? What about non-emergency calls that can delay a response to actual emergencies? Have you ever let yourself down in your personal life?

These are all potential sources of moral distress and injury. Emergency services workers often refer to feelings of moral distress that aren’t a result of their own actions, but are caused by others. “Betrayalbased” moral injury is one example that can involve a serious failure of basic expectations of service and leadership.

Some things are unpleasant – you just need to suck it up. Other things are more problematic, and firefighters need to feel they can ask for support.

Maybe you were forced to comply with a policy that contradicted your personal beliefs, or you felt betrayed by someone in a leadership rolewhat might be called “thrown under the bus” situations. Your sense of right and wrong is violated if you’re falsely accused of wrongdoing, or are criticized for a bad outcome, when you were simply following an order. Betrayal-based moral injury can leave you feeling disappointed and resentful, and it can make it hard for you to trust others.

Anyone in their right mind would think that’s not morally right.

A frequent source of moral injury for firefighters and EMS workers is repeated exposure to violent, immoral, or senseless behavior that leads to tragic outcomes. This often emerges as the focus of conversations with firefighters that begin around the topic of trauma. Discussions end up being less about what’s traditionally considered traumatic, and more about how emotionally exhausted they are from continuously responding to calls that expose the worst of humanity – violence, drugs, sexual assault, child abuse, and more. Ongoing, repetitive exposure to human suffering can create serious internal conflict. Moral injury can significantly alter the way people view themselves, the world and –for some – their relationship with God. A first responder might understandably begin to

feel that it’s impossible to make a difference and that it’s no longer worth trying. After recognizing they’ve made a mistake, their personal moral code may begin to shift. What was once wrong or immoral becomes more acceptable, which generates a sense of hopelessness and despair. This flood of negative emotion can make someone more susceptible to substance abuse and isolation, factors that can increase the risk of suicide. Yet there is a positive aspect to using the term and talking about moral injury: it’s not a diagnosis or a label, but it is an explanation. It openly acknowledges that first responders routinely face very difficult things – things that didn’t happen by accident, are truly offensive, or the results of acts that violate basic human decency. These situations are an affront to your morals, values, soul, everything that guides you as a human being and a professional. How could they not have a negative impact?

You can experience symptoms of trauma that don’t rise to the level of a formal diagnosis of PTSD, but are still present and troublesome. Blows to our morals and values can also accumulate, and can lead to compassion fatigue, depression, anxiety, substance abuse, or suicide. Symptoms of trauma and moral distress or injury overlap in several ways, but there are things you can do to help relieve the burden.

HOW TO COPE

Moral injury involves a sense of transgressions, and a conflict of right and wrong that can create spiritual turmoil. How to cope? Here are some ideas:

CHOOSE TO FORGIVE

Forgiveness can be a powerful step toward healing. It doesn’t excuse or dismiss what happened, but forgiveness allows you to accept it, release the pain or anger you feel, and move forward.

PRACTICE SELF-COMPASSION

There’s no need to punish yourself for what happened. Making a bad decision doesn’t mean you are forever unworthy of good things in your life. Recognize what can be learned, and remind yourself often that you deserve to be happy and have a fulfilling life.

PRACTICE SELF-CARE

Mental and physical health are intricately connected, and every effort you make to take care of your body also improves your mind.

REACH OUT FOR SUPPORT

Moral injury involves transgressions of right and wrong and often creates spiritual turmoil. A chaplain or clergyperson can help you navigate that turmoil and find meaning in what you’ve experienced. You could also talk to a peer, or call a mental health professional. Talking with someone who can help you regain perspective and parse out how you’re feeling can be a tremendous source of relief. Healing soul-deep wounds isn’t always easy, but just acknowledging the distress can kick-start the process. Whether you seek spiritual guidance, focus on selfcare, opt for professional support, or use a combination of approaches, actively working through the details of events that caused moral injury will allow you to resolve your inner conflict and restore your moral compass.

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BETTER SLEEP FOR PHYSICAL + PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH

By Brandon Dreiman, Coordinator of Firefighter Wellness & Support at Indianapolis Fire Department

We all know that sleep is vital from both a physical and psychological standpoint, but the reality for firefighters is that someone has to be up at night! Combine that job-related demand for nighttime wakefulness with the chronic stress of the job, and you’ve created a very difficult recipe for sleep.

Given that, are there any easy suggestions for improving sleep quality at home and on duty? There are. The first and most basic recommendation is a simple two-parter:

1 -

WHEN YOU’RE TIRED, GO TO BED.

2 -

WHEN YOU WAKE UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, TRY TO GO BACK TO SLEEP.

TIPS FOR BETTER SLEEP: I

FIND THE DARKNESS

Darkness stimulates melatonin production, helping you to fall asleep quickly and keeping you asleep as you complete all sleep cycles. Darkness also helps you to relax, so make your bedroom a sleep cave. Turn the alarm clock face down or cover its face – you don’t need that light in your bedroom, and you certainly don’t need to watch the minutes tick past. Install roomdarkening shades and if you have a gap between your curtains, use clothespins to close it. If light comes under your door, fill the void with a towel and consider wearing an eye mask.

TUNE OUT THE NOISE

Many people are soothed by sound machines or apps that cover annoying background noise. Try a few to see which one relaxes you best. Or consider earplugs to block those background noises.

LOWER THE TEMPERATURE

To sleep well, your core body temperature needs to drop by approximately two degrees fahrenheit, so sleeping in a cool room wearing minimal clothing is essential. Another great sleep hack is to take a hot shower or bath about an hour before bedtime to allow the hot water to raise your core temperature, which will then drop after you get out. When the bath or shower is taken at night, the body recognizes that darkness has fallen and that your core temperature is also dropping and is “tricked” into becoming sleepy.

TIME YOUR NAPS

Most of us have a natural drop in core temperature in the early afternoon – one reason we’re often sleepy after lunch. If you want to nap, do it before 4 pm and for no more than 45 minutes. Napping without entering deep sleep is important to feeling rested and helps to avoid throwing off your nighttime sleep schedule.

Our sleep pattern is heavily loaded with deep sleep filling the first half of the night during which your body creates non-emotional memories, repairs itself, and fights invaders like cancer. REM (rapid eye movement) sleep dominates the second half, during which your mind processes emotional memories and traumatic events, which helps to prevent PTSD. Reduce the risk of long-term health consequences by going to bed when you’re tired and going back to bed if you get up mid-sleep.

REIN IN THOSE ELECTRONICS

Your optic nerve has an area called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) that wakes you when it detects sunlight and encourages sleepiness when it doesn’t. The SCN can’t tell the difference between sunlight and the blue light from electronics, so if you’re on your phone or iPad at midnight, your SCN will tell your brain that there’s daylight so it’s time to wake up. Turning off electronics at least an hour before bed allows the SCN to process that it’s nighttime, which triggers the sleep process.

THE 30/30 RULE

If you have been lying in bed for what feels like 30 minutes (don’t check your clock – just estimate), get up, go to another room and relax for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, go back to bed. If you simply lie in bed struggling to sleep, you’ll begin to associate your bed with being awake, which makes the problem even worse.

CUT THE CAFFEINE

Stop consuming caffeine by lunch time – or better yet, by 10 am. Here’s why: when you wake up in the morning, your body ramps up energy but also begins to produce adenosine, a naturally occurring substance that relaxes and dilates blood vessels. Your body has receptors where adenosine attaches, and as it builds up through the day, you become drowsy. Caffeine competes with adenosine to attach to these receptors and when it does, the caffeine wakes you up. Caffeine build-up from drinking coffee throughout the day can disrupt things for up to 30 hours. So try to have your last cup of coffee by 10 am and beware of sneaky foods that contain caffeine including black tea, green tea, colas, energy drinks, and dark chocolate.

FORGET THE OTC REMEDIES

Over the counter (OTC) remedies for sleep are very popular, but as a rule, should be avoided. Melatonin can be

great, but only if you use what your own body produces. If that melatonin production is sub-optimal, it’s likely because you’re doing something (like late-night blue light exposure) that is interfering. Rather than treating the symptom with melatonin pills, it’s better to figure out the cause. While short-term use of melatonin for jet lag can be effective, long-term use as a sleep aid isn’t recommended.

Diphenhydramine, another OTC remedy, is an antihistamine used in many “nighttime” medications. It has two drawbacks – the first being that it can shift the sleep-wake cycle which only causes more problems. Secondly, it’s an anticholinergic that binds to acetylcholine, which is used by the brain to form memories. A major study examining the relationship between long term anticholinergic use and memory issues noted that “higher cumulative anticholinergic use is associated with an increased risk for dementia.” Enough said. Try to avoid using diphenhydramine to sleep.

WHAT ABOUT CBT-I?

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) is a standardized, multi-week program specifically designed to assist people who have chronic issues falling asleep or staying asleep. It’s the evidencebased treatment of choice for insomnia and produces clinical improvement in 75 percent of insomnia patients. Topics discussed during CBT-I are things like negative sleep thoughts, sleep restriction, weaning off sleeping pills, relaxation techniques, and sleep hygiene practices. Depending on who provides the CBT-I, it may be covered by insurance. Regardless, CBT-I tends to be fairly cost-effective even if paid out of pocket. And who can put a price on a great night’s sleep?

As you can see, there are a wealth of options to improve sleep. Choose one or two from the list and try them for a week. If you notice a difference in your sleep, you’ll know what’s working.

By John Catoul, Platoon Chief, Richmond Hill Fire and Emergency Services

The inside of a firehouse is something few will ever see.

It’s reserved for the men and women who have given everything to pursue a dream profession and who may encounter praise, ridicule, support and professional-grade teasing – all within the first hour of a shift.

This is hallowed ground, and those you meet there don’t care if you’re fresh out of recruit class and stumbling to find your feet, or finishing the last day of an otherwise illustrious career. Everyone’s fair game.

Welcome to the firehouse kitchen table. Meeting around a table is by no means reserved solely for firefighters. For generations, families have gathered around tables to enjoy meals together, gamblers and card players have pulled up a chair to try their luck, while board members have taken high-ranking seats to plan financial futures.

the great equalizer

very simple description of something so central to firefighting culture.

The kitchen, and more specifically the kitchen table, is where everyone sits on a daily basis to be entertained by the comments and actions of their teammates. Whether you’re sharing fascinating facts or suggesting the menu for the day, make no mistake, once you open your mouth you’re setting yourself up for universal support or collective head shaking… or both. Choosing not to sit down with your teammates is a signal that you’re removing yourself and disengaging from the group – rarely a wise move. You need to take your seat at the table and join in the action.

Freedictionary.com defines "kitchen table" as a piece of furniture having a smooth top that is usually supported by one or more vertical legs. That’s a

On any given day, on any given shift, the kitchen table will be where everything starts. Its magnetic pull is so overpowering we gravitate towards it for many reasons that take us far beyond simply filling our stomachs.

Firefighters are typically Type A personalities, so it never takes long before someone breaks the silence – perhaps with a comment carefully designed to ignite an explosive reaction, kind of like throwing a grenade onto a bigger grenade. Lob “Who saw the game last night?” into the conversation and, bingo, like clockwork it begins. Suddenly, everyone around the table is transformed into a pro athlete or coach, all with a wealth of opinions to share. While the kitchen table recreates last night’s playing field, cups of coffee are poured as the first topic leads into the next and the next,

and the conversation flows for the entirety of the shift, interrupted only by calls and other daily activities.

Once you’ve taken your seat at the table, you’ve become a player. By sitting down, you’ve anteed up and are ready to solve all the problems anyone brings forward, to give input when needed and definitely when not required. Suddenly, you morph into an industry expert, just as you earlier became a pro athlete. Whatever’s needed, that’s what you’ll be – therapist, doctor, teacher, banker, contractor, lawyer or any other profession that fills the bill.

You’ll listen attentively as colleagues discuss in detail whatever they’ve brought to the table, all the while flipping through the mental rolodex you’ve amassed over the years, searching for the exact qualifications you need to contribute to the conversation. When someone

mentions what their kids did at home, yours have done the same! When they relate an experience that happened to them, you can’t wait to share something similar and so on.

drawings added to it, but that bill will stay right where the owner left it. (On the other hand, leave a bag of chips or a box of cookies, and they won’t stand a chance!)

We signed up for this profession to help others. If this isn’t the foundation on which you have built or are building your career, then you can get up from the table and leave. The kitchen table is our Sunday gridiron – but the difference is, it’s there 365 days a year. It’s where we show leadership, offer compassion and create inclusion and trust. The brothers and sisters who break bread with you will be the same people who might forget a $20 bill on the table for weeks. The $20 might be moved or have some colorful

The ability to sit quietly and listen and take everything in is trumped only by what you decide to say when the moment arises. Make no mistake, the conversations that take place at the firehouse kitchen table will be forever inscribed on your mind. You’ll recall, without hesitation, all the stories and events that have taken place over your career and you’ll have no problem remembering a single one.

Firefighters know that their kitchen table is the nucleus – the very heart –of the fire station.

Why don’t you pull up a chair and stay a while?

PHOTO BY: STEPHEN BAER - FIREDOGPHOTOS

PHOTO BY: STEPHEN BAER - FIREDOGPHOTOS

By Ryan Provencher, Firefighter Peak Performance Founder and Executive Fitness Advisor for CRACKYL Magazine

SIMPLE TOOLS FOR YOUR FIRE STATION GYM: TRX SUSPENSION TRAINER

THE TRX SUSPENSION TRAINER PROVIDES A SIMPLE ALL-IN-ONE OPTION FOR YOUR FIREFIGHTER WORKOUTS. ITS UNIQUE DESIGN IS IDEAL FOR PERFORMING ALL ESSENTIAL MOVEMENT PATTERNS WHILE CHALLENGING CORE STABILITY AND BALANCE.

Exercise difficulty and workout intensity are easily managed by adjusting the angle of your body, the complexity of the exercise, the tempo of your movement or even by donning a weighted vest. You may choose to perform your entire workout utilizing TRX exercises, or incorporate other simple tools into your training such as sandbags, kettlebells, med balls, etc.

STEP BACK LUNGE X 50 REPETITIONS EACH LEG (ALTERNATING)

Adjust straps to mid-length, stand facing the anchor point, feet slightly wider than hip width apart.

Grip handles with elbows bent.

Step back into your lunge, pull your back knee down to 90 degrees while keeping the front leg stable at 90 degrees.

Drive through the front foot as you return to the starting position.

TACTICAL APPLICATION: STAIR CLIMB, HOSE/LADDER DEPLOYMENT.

CHEST PRESS X 50 REPETITIONS

Adjust straps to full length, stand facing away from the anchor point, feet shoulder width apart.

Grip handles with arms extended, body in the plank position.

Flex arms as you pull elbows to ribs.

Extend arms to return to starting position.

TACTICAL APPLICATION: FORCIBLE ENTRY, OPERATING TOOLS/EQUIPMENT

BODYWEIGHT SQUAT X 50 REPETITIONS

Adjust straps to mid-length, stand facing anchor point, feet shoulder width apart.

Grip handles with elbows bent.

Pull hips down into a squat position, thighs parallel to the floor. Drive through your heels back to the starting position.

TACTICAL APPLICATION: LIFTING PATIENTS, TOOLS/EQUIPMENT

LOW ROW X 50 REPETITIONS

Fully shorten straps, stand facing anchor point, feet slightly wider than hip width apart, ankles flexed.

Grip handles with arms extended, body in the plank position.

Pull your body into straps until elbows are seated into ribs. Extend your arms as you return to the starting position.

TACTICAL APPLICATION: PULLING HOSE/ROPE, LIFTING EQUIPMENT

WORKOUT TRAINING PROTOCOL: FOR TIME

WARM-UP 10 minute dynamic warm-up.

TRAINING

Perform 50 repetitions for each exercise in any order that you choose.

SCORING

Record total time to complete all repetitions and Final Heart Rate.

COOL-DOWN 10 minute comprehensive cool-down.

MODERATE INTENSITY TRAINING

Maintain Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) between five and seven, and heart rate between 60 percent and 80 percent of estimated maximum.

HIGH INTENSITY TRAINING

Maintain a Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) between seven and nine, and heart rate between 80 percent and 95 percent of estimated maximum.

FOR EXERCISE VIDEOS, WORKOUT TIMERS, SCORE SHEETS, AND TRAINING GUIDES, GO TO THE FIREFIGHTER PEAK PERFORMANCE FITNESS AND WELLNESS PLATFORM

FINANCE

M O NEY C A N B U Y YO U H APPI NESS it’s

By Rick Mauro

You know the ad that asks whether you’ll look back on your life and regret the things you didn’t buy, or the places you didn’t go? Does it strike a nerve with you — because it sure does with me.

In today’s have-it-all materialistic world, we’re all guilty of occasionally exercising a little “retail therapy” to make ourselves

all about how you spend it

feel better, but the reality is – and studies support it –

BUYING STUFF WON’T BRING HAPPINESS AND CAN IN FACT MAKE YOU FEEL WORSE. HERE’S WHY.

Possessions are temporary by nature and fade over time. They look shiny and new in the store but as soon as the package

is opened, they begin to perish, spoil, fade or lose their novelty. The problem is, we’re hardwired to want new things. Certain regions of the brain are actually drawn to novelty and can influence what we predict will be rewarding.

When we see something that could provide a reward (say, a fancy power tool) our brain releases a

neurotransmitter called dopamine. Dopamine motivates us to get that reward but tends to prioritize instant gratification, often at the expense of more important long-term goals and wellbeing. And, as we all know, there is always something new right around the corner. New models, new styles, new improvements, and new features.

EACH PURCHASE ACTUALLY ADDS EXTRA WORRY TO OUR LIVES AS EVERY PHYSICAL ITEM WE BRING INTO OUR LIVES REPRESENTS ONE MORE THING THAT CAN BE BROKEN, SCRATCHED, OR STOLEN - AND OF COURSE HAS TO BE PAID FOR.

Expensive new toys require maintenance such as cleaning, organizing, and storage. And no matter what we’ve bought, we soon discover other people aren’t all that impressed. Regardless of how much we’ve spent, someone else will always have more. Material purchases are inevitably subject to comparison and your fancy gadget will be harder to appreciate when an updated version is released.

In many cultures around the world, material goods signal social status and advertising increases materialism – even in children – while social media boosts consumption. We all know that buying material possessions can provide a quick boost to enjoyment and happiness. Playing with a new phone is fun and getting a truck might boost your confidence. But, like that donut you absolutely had to eat, such enjoyment is fleeting. Your brain quickly readjusts to the new normal, and in a very short time, those exciting new purchases stop generating happiness. This effect actually has an official name: “hedonic habituation.”

The shiny new object quickly loses both its luster and the perceived happiness associated with it just about the time that the credit card bill comes in.

But here’s the good news. Contrary to what I’ve just said, money can indeed buy happiness. Spending on things like vacations, dining out and going to concerts may seem temporary, ephemeral and intangible, but the reality is that those investments can bring lasting benefit by creating memories with friends and family you’ll cherish and relive for years to come. Years of research show that experiential purchases are far more likely to boost your happiness than more tangible items.

little bit of the happiness associated with it. And that feeling is free!

Experiences increase happiness by facilitating connections with others. People are social creatures: meaningful interactions and relationships with other humans are crucial to our happiness and well-being Concerts, fairs, ball games, and vacations are all social events, often involving friends, family, or those who share your interests. Even after the actual event ends, reflecting on shared experiences makes us feel closer to those we care about.

like other people more when they discuss experiences rather than material items.

What kind of experiences are most likely to improve happiness? It varies based on individual personality and preferences, so experts suggest you spend time reflecting on what makes you happy, what you love to do and what feels important to you.

WHEN DECIDING ON A PURCHASE, EXPERIENTIAL OR MATERIAL, ALWAYS TAKE TIME TO THINK ABOUT HOW IT WILL FIT INTO YOUR OVERALL GOALS FOR WELL-BEING.

Experiences also provide substantial long-term benefits. In one study, people were asked to think of both a material purchase and an experiential one.

REGARDLESS OF THEIR BACKGROUND, PEOPLE REPORTED THAT THE EXPERIENTIAL PURCHASE MADE THEM HAPPIER THAN THE MATERIAL ONE. Moreover, people reported being in better moods after being reminded of their experiential purchases, compared to their material ones.

Experts note that every time you reconnect with the memory of a happy experience, you feel a

The places you go and the things you do are also great fodder for stories and conversation.

Think about it: people talk more about their experiences than their possessions, and reminiscing about happy times increases satisfaction.

Other people are always more interested in hearing about your recent vacation or the dinner you had at that new restaurant than they are in endlessly discussing the features of that new power tool.

Research finds that people enjoy conversations and

Are you exercising retail therapy for a short-term happiness fix? Will your purchase really generate residual happiness through repeated reflection and recollection? Would a great outing with your family provide longer-term satisfaction?

Spend your time to understand what you value most before you spend your cash and it will be time well invested.

YEARS OF RESEARCH SHOW THAT EXPERIENTIAL PURCHASES ARE FAR MORE LIKELY TO BOOST YOUR HAPPINESS THAN MORE TANGIBLE ITEMS.

FASTING WITH EXERCISE

By Danielle Cook Kawash, MS, RD, NBC-HWC Owner First In Wellness

When it comes to nutrition, there is always a heated debate about the best way to fuel for particular situations or outcomes. One topic getting a lot of attention these days is whether to do a workout while you are fasting. Like every other nutrition topic, the answer is not cut and dried.

In general, I suggest eating prior to training – but that recommendation may vary depending on your goals, the type of exercise and intensity you are doing, and what and when you eat before or after your workout.

Let’s consider fasting. A practice that can vary widely, a fast can last between

12 and 24 hours, and in some cases for several days or weeks. Some people practice intermittent fasting (IF) or time-restricted eating (TRE) during which they fast and eat for set numbers of hours per day.

Fasting, IF, and TRE have become popular because of the apparent health benefits reported, which include weight and fat loss, improved blood sugar regulation, lowered inflammation and pain, and improved cognitive function. For example, you might fast for 16 hours between 6 pm and 10 am and eat only during the eight subsequent hours (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.). Some people fast

for

a few days a week and eat regularly on the other days. Many people who fast also exercise – often first thing in the morning – something that should be evaluated in terms of goals and type of exercise.

The human body requires adequate calories for high level athletic performance, as well as adequate macronutrients such as fat, carbohydrate, protein, and water; and micronutrients including iron, B-vitamins, and potassium. Here’s what the research science has to say about exercising in the fasted state.

Fat Loss and Weight Loss

Fasting is often suggested to increase fat loss, which makes sense. When you begin exercising, you’re predominantly using glucose from stored glycogen. Once those stores are depleted, you use more body fat, an abundant source of stored energy, for fuel. Fasting depletes glycogen stores, so in a fasted state, you have less glycogen to burn through before you start tapping into stored fat.

Fasting also causes your insulin levels to drop. Given that one of the basic functions of insulin is to inhibit fat breakdown in the body (lipolysis), having less insulin means more fat is broken down into fatty acids and used to fuel your exercise. This all sounds good in theory, but like everything else with our bodies, it’s a bit more complicated. This theory seems to work only if the type of exercise you’re doing is low-intensity, aerobic exercise (e.g. walking or jogging super slowly with your out-of-shape friend).

Dial up the intensity of the exercise to something like running, lifting weights, or high intensity interval training (HIIT), and this theory falls apart. Although you’ll break down more fat, you won’t use the fatty acids quickly enough to prevent them from being repackaged and stored again after exercise.

If fat burning and weight loss are your goals, low intensity exercise isn’t the most effective choice. Assume you burn 500 calories at a higher intensity and only 150 calories at a low intensity for the same duration. Even though the percentage of the 500 calories from fat may be lower, the total amount of fat burned is higher at the higher intensity than the total amount burned at the lower level.

A second consideration is the number of calories you burn after exercise called “excess post-exercise

oxygen consumption” (EPOC). Imagine running up a flight of stairs. You’ll breathe hardest when you get to the top of the stairs, recovering from the exertion. When you exercise at a high intensity, your body increases oxygen consumption and metabolism to meet its demands for recovery and repair for several hours after exercise. Performing higher intensity or HIIT type exercise instead of lower intensity exercise can result in significantly more overall fatty acids and calories burned during exercise and elevated calorie burn after exercise.

It’s important to note that you can’t exercise your way out of a bad diet. If your goal is weight loss and/or achieving a lean, muscular physique, what passes your lips will need to match these goals. If you’re consuming too many calories or have a diet full of fluffernutter sandwiches, fasting during exercise or working out like a maniac won’t do much good.

Working out at a higher intensity, therefore, burns more total calories and total fat. If you’re fasting and hypoglycemic, your energy levels will be lower, and you won’t be able to work out as hard, which will mean that fewer overall calories and fatty acids will be burned. You’ll also miss out on an elevated metabolism post-exercise.

Studies on training in a fasted or fed state demonstrate that individuals can train more intensely if they’ve consumed a pre-exercise meal. Other studies have shown that consuming a small meal prior to exercise burns more calories in the post-exercise period than exercising in a fasted state. Eating a little food before exercise helps you work out harder and burn more calories and fat, both during and after your workout.

It’s important to note that you can’t exercise your way out of a bad diet

Getting Yolked

Trying to gain muscle? Exercising in a fasted state will most likely not support this goal. In general, training in the fasted state, at a higher intensity, increases muscle tissue breakdown.

This is especially true with cardio. Consuming some carbohydrates and/ or a high leucine food such as whey protein prior to performing moderate to intense cardio can slow muscle catabolism. With strength training we are more concerned with muscle growth after training. Eating a mixed carb/protein meal or a high leucine meal prior or within 60 minutes of strength training will enhance muscle growth.

Also, don’t forget doing heavy lifts and pushing harder will be difficult when you’re fasting, and this stimulus is needed to build muscle. If you’re working to increase performance and/or build a rock-hard physique, fueling before your workout will be beneficial and help you reach this goal.

Firefighter Specific Concerns

Your job as a firefighter is stressful: you’re sleep deprived, you’re juggling family and a social life with an unpredictable schedule, the tone could drop at any moment forcing your brain to be on constant alert, and you’re exposed to difficult situations on a regular basis. So, suffice it to say, your nervous system is most likely already out of balance and tipped towards a more stressed state. Is it a good idea to pile on more stress? Probably not. Exercise is a stressor and fasting is also a stressor. Both trigger a hormetic response, which is an adaptive response that strengthens the body. For example, when you lift weights, it causes small injuries to the muscle, which stimulates repair and adaptation to be able to lift a heavier load in the future. The key to keeping this a strengthening response (and not a depleting one) is the dose and the frequency. Exercise in excess, or not building in enough recovery time between training sessions (think overtraining), begins to break down

your body and weaken your defenses over time. Have you ever trained too hard and began getting random injuries or never feeling fully rested? The same goes for fasting.

If your body is already under too much stress, fasting can worsen your sleep, leave you cranky, deplete your energy, weaken psychological resilience, and cause weight gain. So as a firefighter, I’d caution you to listen to your body when it comes to both exercise and fasting, and especially if you decide to combine the two. Pay attention to your sleep, your moods, your energy, your strength, and your weight/body composition. If you notice a negative trend in any of these, consider backing off on potential stressors.

And since I’ve mentioned stress, starting a daily meditation practice will enhance mental and physical performance, support weight loss, improve sleep quality, and much more. I love the 12-minute program in the book Peak Mind by Amishi Jha.

Ok, that’s the science. Whether or not you train in a fasted or fed state is ultimately up to you.

HERE ARE A FEW GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS BASED ON THE RESEARCH TO SUM IT UP:

TO DO FASTING: Low-intensity exercise (30-minute walk or bike ride on a flat road, light yoga).

TO LOSE WEIGHT AND BODY FAT:

Best to work out at a moderate to high intensity or perform HIIT type training and eat a small meal such as a shake* within a few hours before training.

TO IMPROVE PERFORMANCE:

For all types of exercise (weight training, running, cycling, etc.) consume a small meal such as a shake* within a few hours before training. Depending on intensity and duration of exercise and temperature/humidity, replace electrolytes and fuel with carbohydrates.

TO PREVENT MUSCLE LOSS:

For cardio, consume a small meal such as a shake* within a few hours before training. For weight training, consume a small meal such as a shake* within a few hours before training or within 60 minutes after training.

TO GAIN MUSCLE (WITH WEIGHT TRAINING):

Consume a small meal such as a shake* within a few hours before training or within 60 minutes after training.

*mixed carb/protein or high leucine such as whey protein

It’s your body, and you know your body best.

Hitting personal bests in the gym matters more when lives are on the line. It’s why we created the essential supplements firefighters need to stay fit for whatever the alarm bell brings.

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MAKING THE CONNECTION BETWEEN

& FIREFIGHTING SAFETY

By Sabrina Pirillo

Dr. Sara A Jahnke is the Director and a Senior Scientist with the Center for Fire, Rescue & EMS Health Research within NDRI-USA, Inc., where she also serves as the Chief Operating Officer. With over a decade of research experience on firefighters, she has been the Principal Investigator on several national studies focusing on a range of health concerns including the health of women firefighters, behavioral health, risk of injury, cancer, cardiovascular risk factors, and substance use with funding from FEMA, the National Institutes of Health and other foundations.

Jahnke’s credentials feature impressive accolades and contributions to organizations such as the International Association of Fire Chiefs (which gave her both the President’s Award for Excellence in Fire Service Research and the Chair’s Award for Excellence in Research, Safety, Health & Survival). She completed the American Heart Association’s Fellowship in Epidemiology and Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease and is a Fellow of the American College of Epidemiology.

Jahnke is also on the board of Science to the Station: A Health & Wellness Alliance (aka The Science Alliance) — a community of scientists, health care, and fire service professionals dedicated to providing the critical information needed to improve the safety and health of firefighters and other first responders. These experts are often disconnected from active firefighters. Jahnke’s goal as the driving force behind the Fire Science Alliance is to bridge this gap by introducing firefighters to this extraordinary group of people.

THERE ARE LIN K S BETWEEN FIREFIGHTERS AND A COMMUNITY OF PROFESSIONALS CONDUCTING RESEARCH TO HELP BRIDGE THE GAP IN COMMUNICATION –THEIR NAMES ARE JAHN K E AND THE SCIENCE ALLIANCE

Her passion began close to home with her dad playing a big role in why she began her research. “I grew up around fire service. My dad retired as a fire chief after a dozen years in Overland Park, Kansas. When the CDC came up with a report about the leading cause of on duty death being cardiovascular related, it was right around the same time that my dad had a second heart attack. For me, it was personal.” She began her research with the people she grew up with in Kansas City. Her dad is still her motivation for what she does, but it is also the team of people who surround her at the Alliance who would be there at a moment’s notice, just like family would.

Jahnke’s research has also outlined differences regarding the health behaviors between men and women. In a recent study done by Jahnke and her team, a project funded by the National Institute of Health looked at women in the fire service. Symptoms like anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress were higher in females compared to men. The data revealed women were higher in these concerns due to elevated discrimination and harassment. “I keep trying to tell people it is not an HR issue. This isn't a health and safety issue. This is a psychological safety issue.” Although there are some differences, Jahnke sees the similarities, too. “The service is so lucky. They really have camaraderie and being part of something bigger is what keeps them as sane as they are. To have that ability to joke and to be able to pack away the dark things even when they've seen everyone's worst day, you know, it’s a special gift.”

Being a female in this industry allows the vulnerability of connecting with her to flow easily. “In some ways, I think it's an advantage. It seems less scary to people when I come into a room because I am female. When I start asking questions that are on the behavioral health stuff, I think people feel a little bit freer to talk to me. You must be very well-informed not to be dismissed but I think it helps me, almost like it disarms people to let me in the door, knowing I’m friendly,” she says.

Jahnke’s goals with the Science Alliance are twofold: she would like to have an impact that can improve people's lives. And, she’d like to build a collaboration of networks and improved communication between the two.

As she puts it, “This health and wellness Alliance was based out of a Covid project that had the team looking at what the fire service needed. Who were the trusted voices and experts that firefighters would go to? This project re-awakened the need for that and the fire service.”

“ FOR ME, IT WAS PERSONAL. “

JAHNKE’S GOALS WITH THE SCIENCE ALLIANCE ARE TWOFOLD:

Jahnke and the team developed a membership-driven organization where they currently have about 1,200 members so far. “We were recently at an occupational health conference. We have about 125 occupational health providers, because there's not an official network of them. Folks who are doing behavioral health, folks who are interested in women. We have a workgroup on cancer, a workgroup on cardiovascular disease, a workgroup on sleep. The goal is to create a network of people that are interested in firefighter health and wellness.”

Jahnke says the Fire Department Safety Officers’ Organization does a great job on incident safety, but as far as all these other concerns go, everyone's kind of “doing their own thing”. The goal is to get people talking to each other. “My life career goal is to really support building these networks and the fire service in a way that there's more communication, that there's amplification of all the really amazing things going on.”

Jahnke is seeing more departments putting a focus on health and wellness, including taking part in more annual medical exams than ever before. "Being a firefighter will always involve risk, but the technology that exists now will help ensure that fires are fought more safely."

So how can the firefighting industry assist the Alliance? It can stay informed about the research that’s being done and take the time to understand what that research means. Jahnke sees it as important to be engaged and not to be afraid to ask the necessary questions to help understand the science. The results that are coming out do have an impact on the day-to-day.

“IAFF put all this work into reducing the stigma around mental health issues — and it's working. The conversations that are now transpiring are how do we make sure we have enough therapists when someone needs one.” says Jahnke. The Science Alliance also has a FEMA-funded project on disaster response. One part looks at how to respond to a disaster in order to track exposures on the impact. The other piece is how to support the behavioral health of folks who are really seeing these once-in-a-lifetime horrible events. These important conversations with the Science Alliance are about making sure that people are taken care of during and after an event.

If Jahnke had one take away on her research it would be that the greatest strength people can have is being in this together. “Our greatest strength is each other in the fire service.” But bridging the gap between experts and firefighters begins with firefighters.

Having Sara Jahnke featured on the cover of CRACKYL Magazine is a feat for the industry. It recognizes the hard work and dedication of this community and brings to light what science has proven - and where it's headed. And it all stems from relationships and the organizations like the Fire Science Alliance that complete the link.

HAVE AN IMPACT THAT CAN IMPROVE PEOPLE'S LIVES

BUILD A COLLABORATION OF NETWOR K S AND IMPROVED COMMUNICATION

“ OUR GREATEST STRENGTH IS EACH OTHER IN THE FIRE SERVICE. ”

Mental and physical health are intricately linked – every step you take for your physical health can also improve your mental health.

Build resilience and protect your overall wellness with resources and strategies specific to the challenges of a high-stress profession. Learn more at nami.org/FrontlinePublicSafety.

ELIMINATE

MORE TOXINS

88% OF PAH s * REMOVED

proven more effective than any other personal decon brand tested

IT ISN’T SOAP. IT’S SOOTSOAP.

*PAHs Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are a common and dangerous class of carcinogens to which firefighters are exposed through soot and smoke, during live fire training, overhaul and through surface exposure.

Howard A.

Chief

Firefighting is one of the best jobs around. It’s also one of the most dangerous.

As firefighters, we train and prepare for the many physical risks we face. We accept that our job involves running into burning buildings, dealing with hazardous materials, handling car accidents on busy roads, and dealing with angry, hostile citizens. Unfortunately, we don’t prepare for one of the most significant risks to our health and wellbeing: frequent exposure to traumatic events.

Studies of first responders show that over time, the stressors associated

Coordinator

with exposure to traumatic events pose a serious challenge to our emotional, mental, spiritual and physical wellbeing. The national posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) rate in the U.S. is estimated at 6.8 percent. But for firefighters it ranges from 7 to a whopping 37 percent.

And the effects of traumatic events are cumulative. The longer a person is an active firefighter, the greater the likelihood is that they will experience negative consequences from exposure to traumatic events. Exposure to traumatic events is one of the greatest health risks faced by firefighters.

EXPOSURE TO TRAUMATIC EVENTS IS ONE OF THE GREATEST HEALTH RISKS FACED BY FIREFIGHTERS.

WHAT IS A TRAUMATIC EVENT?

A traumatic event is an incident that evokes a strong emotional reaction and has the potential to interfere in our lives and cause a disruption in our homeostasis, or normal state of being. The word “potential” is important here because not everyone will respond in the same way to a given traumatic event. For example, a firefighter with a young child might be more adversely affected by a call that involves a baby than a single firefighter without kids.

If firefighters are experiencing other stressors in their lives, they may potentially be less resilient after a bad call. Given the cumulative effects of trauma, more seasoned firefighters might find themselves affected after what appears to be a relatively routine call.

Stress produces a complex interplay of responses from the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems which combine to impact other systems of the body including cardiovascular,

respiratory, gastrointestinal, muscular and reproductive.

More worryingly, long term physiological responses to trauma can lead to a host of dangerous symptoms and behaviours including depression, anxiety, cognitive impairment, heart disease, excessive drinking, and drug abuse. These and other maladaptive behaviors can wreak havoc not just on your health but your relationships.

Cohen, Deputy

(Ret.), Virtual Training

for Africa Fire Mission, member of the National Volunteer Fire Council

WHAT CAN WE DO?

Stress and exposure to trauma are facts of life for firefighters. So it’s vital not only to learn how to handle stress and our responses to traumatic events but also to practice these skills so we can return to homeostasis and resume normal functioning as quickly as possible.

HOW TO BUILD YOUR RESILIENCE

Resiliency is the ability to bounce back in a healthy way and is key to coping with stressful events. How well we handle emotional, psychological, and spiritual stress depends on how resilient we are.

RECOGNIZING THE SIGNS OF TRAUMA FATIGUE

There are many signs that we, or someone we know, is not coping well after a traumatic event or an accumulation of unprocessed events. These signs may include some or all of the following:

• Fatigue

• Grief

• Chest pains

• Denial

• Depression

• Loss of emotional control

• Difficulty paying attention

• Anger

• Difficulty making decisions

• Change in appetite

• Nightmares

• Misuse of alcohol or drugs

• Intrusive images

• Anger at God or crisis of faith

• Anxiety

• Withdrawing from others

• Guilt

If someone you care about is exhibiting any of these signs, gently bring your observations to their attention. Be sure to let them know that you are coming from a place of love and concern. Though it isn’t always easy to approach a friend and colleague who is hurting, the price to pay for not doing so could be very high. As you know, a firefighter not performing at peak levels is a potential risk to themselves or other firefighters.

If we exhibit signs of not coping well, let’s hope one of our friends and colleagues will reach out to us. Awareness of these outward signs is critical.

Developing situational awareness on the fireground is a critical skill for every firefighter.

E MOTIONAL AND MENTAL HEALTH

SITUATIONAL AWARENESS IS A CRITICAL SKILL FOR BUILDING RESILIENCE AND IS A SKILL THAT SHOULD BE TAUGHT TO EVERY FIREFIGHTER.

Traumatic events and bad calls are part of the job, whether we’re dealing with a fatal car crash, a burn victim, a suicide, or the death of a child. Encounters like these take a toll. It’s no surprise that many firefighters are haunted by the daily tragedies they witness.

But with increased awareness and resilience-building skills, we’re all better able to cope with the stresses that go along with having the best job in the world.

The good news is that resilience is a skill we can develop. It requires no special equipment and is the natural outcome of enjoyable, healthy activities. Try these tips to build your resilience for when you’ll need it:

• Eat healthy food.

• Get plenty of sleep.

• Develop hobbies and interests outside of work and the fire service.

• Cultivate friendships with those to whom you can speak openly and honestly.

• Nurture your spiritual life.

• Practice mindfulness such as yoga or meditation.

• Exercise.

• Relax and go on vacations whenever possible.

• Be kind to yourself.

• Embrace change.

• Embrace healthy thoughts.

• Be open to getting help if you think you need it.

• Participate in your department’s after action reviews (AAR).

• Remember: you have the most meaningful job in the world.

RELATIONSHIPS

WHAT KEEPS YOU ALIVE

By Tracy Hejmanowski, Ph.D.

Chances are you take pride in what you do, how you do it, and how it’s regarded by others. After all, your professional persona as a firefighter is what you hang your helmet on at the end of the day.

But what about your family persona? Do you take the same amount of pride in that?

STOIC AT WORK

SITUATIONAL AWARENESS AT WORK

MIGHT KILL YOUR RELATIONSHIPS

COMMANDING PRESENCE AT WORK

URGENCY AT WORK

SKEPTICISM AT WORK

PERSPECTIVE AT WORK

CAN LOOK LIKE DISINTEREST AT HOME

CAN LOOK LIKE PARANOIA AT HOME

CAN LOOK LIKE MICROMANAGING AT HOME

CAN LOOK LIKE IMPATIENCE AT HOME

CAN LOOK LIKE CYNICISM AT HOME

CAN LOOK LIKE JUDGMENT AT HOME

QUICK DECISION-MAKING AT WORK CAN LOOK LIKE IMPULSIVITY AT HOME

CAUTIOUSNESS AT WORK CAN LOOK LIKE DISTRUST AT HOME

YOU’RE NOT AN ASSHOLE AND THEY AREN’T PAINS IN THE ASS

IS YOUR FAMILY PERSONA AS SQUARED AWAY AS YOUR PROFESSIONAL ONE?

Just as you conduct preventive checks on your turn-out gear, you should conduct an internal check-up – essentially a software reboot – to make transitioning between work and home smoother for everyone. It sounds easy, but is more complicated than you might think.

As a firefighter, depersonalizing and compartmentalizing allows you to wall off emotion in order to remain mentally and physically competent. It allows you to think in go or no-go ways, to be closed off and disengaged from everything other than what simply needs to get done. You are an excellent “human doing” – it’s the “human being” that may need improvement.

You might be kick-ass at work but your loved ones may feel controlled, insignificant, mistrusted, excluded from problem-solving, embarrassed, undervalued, ineffective, unwanted, incompetent, and unable to share or

YOUR WORK STRENGTHS CAN KILL INTIMACY AND LIKEABILITY. Because the very skills that make you so good at your job might just kill intimacy and, most importantly, likeability. When that happens, there’s a tendency to simply double down on work commitments, which keeps the cycle going. Loved ones walk on eggshells, sadly accept coming second and lower their expectations. They plan around rather than with you, make excuses, worry, and feel frustrated or resentful that others get the best version of you.

WORK GETS EVERYTHING YOUR FAMILY CRAVES.

Work gets all the qualities your family members – especially your kids – crave: availability, reliability, predictability, consistency, and stability. Instead, they get the leftovers: a gassed-out you who is all out of F’s. So they wait and try to figure out how to interpret you, studying your exhaustion, frustration, confusion, isolation, and avoidance –all in hopes of taking care of you.

It's not easy to flip between two worlds. At work, you cope with others’ pain, suffering, trauma, tragedy, and transgression. At home, you deal with hectic family schedules, complexity, struggle, and helplessness. You may feel emotionally heavy and confusedand so might your loved ones. You may not know where the heaviness comes from and your family

It’s not easy to carry around a hardened heart, muddled mind, restless body, and unsettled soul. And it can be damn-near impossible to sort through and talk about it, but there are ways to maintain strong connections with loved ones. At the end of a call, a shift, or even your career, those who have been waiting in the wings, eager to nurture you, will still be there. No one wants to blow up or burn down what and who they

STRENGTHENING YOUR CONNECTIONS WITH FAMILY REQUIRES ATTENTION AND

EFFORT

HOT WASH AT HOME

Find a way to share the impact of calls without talking about the specifics. When you think your family doesn’t “get it,” you’re right. They can’t, if you don’t share anything and they won’t if you pretend that nothing has an impact.

Share the category of your exposures (e.g., sorrow about tragedy, anger about transgression, anxiety about threat, confusion about helplessness) and while you won’t have to relive details with your loved ones, they might begin to understand how to buffer your stress for the rest of the day. Walking into the house and saying it was a “tragic” or “sorrowful” day might be enough to let your loved one know you need a minute to regroup. Develop this shorthand so your decompression and downloading can be brief and useful.

NOTICE HOW THE ISSUES ABOVE MIGHT REVEAL A THEME FOR YOU

Such as horror, fear, preventability, absurdity, injustice or inhumanity and how full each theme-silo has become over the course of your career. That will impact how patient and tolerant you are.

No one knows which call will be a tipping point, the final straw, or a trigger. Knowing when your cup is over-full serves as a security program for your mental and emotional software. When you don’t “defrag your hard drive,” you can’t regroup your stressors and create space for more. It’s then that your relationships slow down, freeze up, or crash.

PAY ATTENTION TO THE SHIFT THAT’S NECESSARY BETWEEN WORK AND HOME

Realize that you may often be neither “on” or “off” duty, but instead “between.” Leftover firehall thinking and behaviour doesn’t usually work at home. Catastrophizing, making assumptions, having rigid thoughts, and lacking forgiveness for others’ naivete, laziness, ignorance, or slow pace won’t be appreciated by the ones you need most. The goal posts of your experience and exposure as a firefighter are very wide – you’ve seen it all – and your perspective may be skewed in a way that can be unrelatable for those closest to you. You’re not an asshole and they aren’t pains in the ass. There can be a lack of communication but if you start paying attention to your files, your inventory and your glitches, you can recover from the damage before it’s catastrophic.

ASSESS WHETHER YOU ARE AS STELLAR AND COMMENDABLE AT HOME AS YOU ARE AT WORK

This will require a metric ton of humility to get an accurate answer. It takes a lot to build up and maintain your home front ethic and ethos, especially when you’re also bearing the burden of work. Do you put as much effort into your loved ones as you do your performance and promotions? Are you the best version of yourself despite being stressed? Do you sometimes ask for space, but don’t always remember to re-engage? Do you feel entitled to feel and behave as you do because your job is more stressful than others? Are you as calm under pressure at home as you are at work?

GETTING STARTED: Why not show this article to your loved ones and see what they think?

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Most people agree that relationships take effort – they can’t simply exist on auto-pilot but that effort can seem exhausting when you’re already shouldering so much at the firehall. By understanding how the nature of work influences outcomes at home and by putting mechanisms into place to stay in prevention mode, you can ensure that your relationships grow with greater harmony and humanity. Look inside, make changes, assess outcomes and reap the rewards. You and your loved ones deserve it.

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Golf Getaway Swing a this year

By Greg Gordonson

Long, sunny days mean it’s time to get out the clubs and plan a great golf getaway! If, like a lot of firefighters, you love nothing better than a great round of golf, you’ve come to the right place.

PLAN AHEAD FOR A HOLE-IN-ONE TRIP

1 2 3 4 5

SCHEDULE

Juggling firefighting schedules can make it tough to get everyone together. Best advice?

Start planning well in advance to take advantage of early bird deals or discounted packages.

BUDGET

Everyone has different financial commitments: kids, college fees, mortgage and car payments – you name it. Make sure to set a budget for the trip that works for everyone, being sure to include the cost of green fees, transportation, lodging, meals, and any other activities that the group may want to include.

GOLF COURSE SELECTION

Choose a golf course or courses that can accommodate the group's skill level and budget. Consider selecting courses that are located near the group's lodging and offer amenities such as club rentals, carts, and pro shops.

LODGING

Choose a comfortable and affordable place to stay that is conveniently located near the golf courses. Consider options such as hotels, resorts or Airbnb or VRBO vacation rentals.

TRANSPORTATION

Determine how the group will travel to and from the golf courses and lodging. Consider renting a van or car, or using ride-sharing services if needed.

WHERE TO GO?

North America is home to a long list of world-class golf destinations that don’t require a trans-Atlantic plane ticket. Check out our top five faves:

PEBBLE BEACH GOLF LINKS

CALIFORNIA

Pebble Beach is a legendary golf destination located on the scenic Monterey Peninsula in California. The course is consistently ranked among the best in the world and offers stunning views of the Pacific Ocean. If you’re feeling flush, fabulous accommodations are available at The Lodge at Pebble Beach—but there are also dozens of other, more affordable hotels nearby. Plus there are plenty of other things to do in the area, such as visiting the Monterey Bay Aquarium or exploring the nearby town of Carmel.

BANDON DUNES GOLF RESORT

OREGON

Located on the rugged Oregon coast, Bandon Dunes offers some of the most challenging and picturesque links in the U.S. The resort features multiple courses, including Bandon Dunes, Pacific Dunes, and Old Macdonald, each with its unique challenges and scenery. Accommodations are available on-site, and there are plenty of other outdoor activities available in the area, such as hiking, fishing, and beachcombing.

KIAWAH ISLAND GOLF RESORT

SOUTH CAROLINA

Nestled on a barrier island off the coast of South Carolina, Kiawah Island is home to five world-class golf courses, including the Ocean Course, famous for hosting a number of major championships. The resort offers a variety of accommodations, including villas and private homes, and there’s lots of biking, kayaking, and fishing for when you put the clubs away.

WHISTLER GOLF CLUB

BRITISH COLUMBIA

Whistler Golf Club, in the scenic town of Whistler, British Columbia, is a challenging, beautiful course that provides stunning views of the surrounding Rocky Mountains. The town itself is hugely popular with outdoor enthusiasts, thanks to endless opportunities for skiing (yes, if you time it right, you could ski and golf on the same trip!), mountain biking, and hiking. There’s a huge variety of accommodation in the town, at a range of price points.

PINEHURST RESORT

NORTH CAROLINA

The rolling hills of North Carolina are home to Pinehurst Resort, which boasts eight courses including Pinehurst No. 2, which has hosted many major championships. There are lots of accommodations available on-site, but if you’d like something really memorable, consider booking the historic Carolina Hotel to experience some real southern charm. Be sure to leave time to explore the nearby town of Southern Pines and get in a bit of hiking and fishing.

BREAK THE BANK OR BUDGET?

The cost of golf courses in North America can vary greatly depending on a variety of factors such as location, amenities, and reputation.

SHADOW CREEK GOLF COURSE

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

A round of golf at Shadow Creek will set you back $600, not including the mandatory caddie fee of $100. The green fee is a whopping $1,000…but it is open to the public!

PEBBLE BEACH GOLF LINKS

PEBBLE BEACH, CALIFORNIA

We said it was one of the best, but we didn’t say it was cheap! If you're not staying at the resort, it's $625 plus a $55 cart fee or $15 for a pull cart. Want the full experience with a caddie? Fees range from $150 to $155 for a single bag or $200 to $210 for a double bag. A forecaddie is $52.50 per person (three-player minimum).

PINEHURST NO. 2

PINEHURST, NORTH CAROLINA

For starters, you can play Pinehurst No. 2 only if you’re a guest of the resort. If you are, you’ll pony up a $400+ green fee and that’s before you and your buddies pay for caddies.

WHISTLING STRAITS (STRAITS COURSE)

KOHLER, WISCONSIN

Prices vary based on the time of the year, but the peak rate is $485 and while caddies aren’t required for all tee time slots, they are highly recommended for the Straits course. Caddie fees are $70 per person, and gratuity is recommended at $50 per bag.

TPC SAWGRASS (STADIUM COURSE)

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA

Want to play TPC Sawgrass, one of the best golf courses in the US?

Better get out the piggy bank. Prices start at $600 from September to May, and $450 during the summer.

BUDGET FRIENDLY

LOS ANGELES CITY MUNICIPAL GOLF COURSES

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

You can play 18 holes for $50 to $55 on weekends and $39 on weekdays. Bargoon!

DOUGLASTON GOLF COURSE

QUEENS, NEW YORK

If you play after noon, you can do 18 holes for $42 – that’s pretty wallet-friendly!

Golf Getaway

on a budget

1. The earlier you book, the more likely you are to find good deals on flights, accommodation, and green fees.

2. Look for group discounts: Many golf courses and resorts offer group discounts for parties of a certain size, so be sure to inquire about any available discounts when booking your tee times or accommodations. Be sure to mention that you’re a first responder - some courses offer special discounts similar to those offered to members of the military. Check out heroesvacationclub.com

3. Consider off-season travel when prices for flights, hotels, and golf courses tend to be lower. You may also be able to find great deals on packages that include accommodation, meals, and golf.

4. Book a vacation rental: Instead of staying in a hotel, consider renting a vacation home or condo for your group. Eating out can be expensive but a vacation home will allow you to save money and enjoy the flexibility to cook your meals and save on dining expenses.

5. Bring your own equipment to avoid rental fees. Alternatively, you could look into renting clubs in advance or sharing clubs with friends to save money.

6. If no one wants to cook, look for restaurants that offer specials or discounts for golfers.

7. Consider alternative transportation: Instead of renting a car, consider using ridesharing services like Uber or Lyft to save money on transportation expenses.

L I E W O R K LET ’ S MAKE IT A BALANCE F -

By Dr. Donnie Hutchinson First Responder, Life-Work Balance & Self-Care Instructor

IS IT TIME TO FLIP THE SCRIPT ON THE TERM WORK-LIFE BALANCE?

The term “work” is always placed in front of the term “life”. We put it first because traditionally the first word gets the emphasis. But maybe it’s time for some simple but well-established methods to turn that around and start putting life before work. Life-work balance means aligning your daily behavior with your priorities, particularly your health and close family relationships. All too often, we don’t appreciate the value of these until we no longer have them, so it’s important to develop strategies to align actions and priorities.

Who are the most important people in your life, and how have you prioritized them?

What are the essential elements in your world, and how have you been prioritizing those? Most firefighters love their work and have no problem prioritizing it. They also love their family and they want to be healthy. However, the data shows we have some work to do in terms of prioritizing our physical, psychological, social and spiritual health practices and outcomes. Our partners and children could benefit from us providing more dedicated time and attention to our relationships. And so could we.

PLANNING YOUR CALENDAR

Most of us use a calendar, paper or electronic, to note important items and meetings. Doctor’s appointments, training meetings, shift schedules and vacations – they all go on our calendars. What would happen if we put our desired priorities on our calendars? Research shows that putting essential items from our most important life roles can significantly positively affect our engagement. The key to calendar planning is to be intentional about what you want to accomplish.

BEING INTENTIONAL

It’s key to follow the “principle of putting first things first”, a term coined by the late Stephen Covey. These could include exercising, calling a friend, going on dates with your partner, spending time with your children, checking on your parents, and studying for promotion.

Make a date with yourself each week to make your weekly plan. Review your list of who and what is most important to you and align your daily behaviors with these priorities. Perhaps health is a top priority, and you want to begin exercising again. Make a note on your calendar about when and where you’ll work out. If you want the focus to be on your family relationships, maybe you could plan a date with your partner or time with your children.

BLOCK DAYS OFF

No one is better at blocking days off than firefighters, because shifts are a part of your weekly routine. Imagine if exercising, praying/meditating, or doing something with your partner and children mirrored your best practice of blocking off time for work. How would your life change if you routinely followed those action items? Everyone in your life would experience positive outcomes from your intentional planning.

PLAN AHEAD WITH FRIENDS

Socializing is a self-care must because of the positive connections we experience. Think about the last time you checked in on an old friend. What are you waiting for? Consider putting something social on your calendar when you list your most important things to do in the coming week.

CONTROL WHAT YOU CAN AND MANAGE WHAT YOU CAN’T

We can’t expect to operate in a perfect world. What we put on our calendar may get bumped because something supersedes it. For example, if you have a date planned on your day off and your department mandates that you need to take the overtime shift, that change is beyond your control. Share this information with your partner and reschedule. Don’t beat yourself up when things are beyond your control. But there are times when we can control our time. For example, if you have a date planned with your spouse but also want to watch your child take part in a sport or school function, you have the opportunity to control which priority takes precedence. If you've been managing your finances well, perhaps sticking with your scheduled

priorities is the best choice; however, if you are struggling with your bills, volunteering for an overtime shift might be better. Keep your priorities in mind at all times to ensure that you make the best decisions possible in the areas you can control.

Culture teaches us that our lives revolve around our work and that what we do is critically important, meaningful, and financially rewarding. Setting priorities in life brings meaning to our lives and we align ourselves for career success when we prioritize health, wellness, and family relationships. It is when we flip the script to life-work balance and begin intentionally planning our actions that we begin to see our lives become more fulfilling and meaningful.

Is your daily behavior in alignment with your priorities in life? Take this test and find out!

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FIREFIGHTER SYNDROME

IT’S FAR MORE THAN “JUST” PTSD

What do a firefighter living on a hobby farm near Toronto, Ont., and a professor of psychology at the University of Hawaii have in common?

They’re both passionately devoted to educating firefighters, city halls, the healthcare system and even insurance companies that what a lot of firefighters experience is not “just” PTSD.

FIREFIGHTER SYNDROME, AS THEY HAVE CALLED IT, CAN INCLUDE AN ARRAY OF SYMPTOMS, AND A PATTERN OF INTER-RELATED MEDICAL, SOCIAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL INJURIES ACCUMULATED OVER A CAREER IN THE FIRE SERVICE.

By Martha Chapman

According to the two, Canadian Jadie Miller and American Christopher Frueh, a career in the fire service involves regular exposure to chronic stress, lethal risks and short as well as long-term medical, psychological and social strains. They have identified 19 different features of the syndrome which, while yet to be officially recognized, may sound familiar to many CRACKYL readers.

These vary from toxic exposures and disrupted hydration and nutrition to chronic pain and traumatic brain injury (TBI). To that list they have added a host of other problems that can affect personal relationships: marital and family dysfunction, anger, anxiety, hyper-vigilance, depression and difficulties with the work-tohome transition.

Substance abuse, including alcohol and drugs (recreational or prescription), can complicate things further. Poor sleep including sleep apnea can exacerbate it all. And yes, PTSD, with its intrusive memories and physiological reactions (racing heart, sweating), is also on the list.

You can find a full lineup of firefighter syndrome symptoms by visiting:

frequent fear, stress and anxiety. Even in the 1700s, an Austrian physician wrote about soldiers stricken with listlessness and torpor – a condition he termed, strangely, “nostalgia”. Such nostalgia was widely noted during the American Civil War, but it was World War I which brought these recurring symptoms—the tremors, nightmares, impaired sight and hearing experienced by soldiers—to the fore. Back then, it was termed “shell shock”. Fast forward to today: according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America there are some 7.7 million Americans who are suffering from PTSD.

YET MUCH AS AUTHORITIES AND LAYMEN (INCLUDING FIREFIGHTERS’ FRIENDS AND FAMILIES) TEND TO LUMP ALL FIREFIGHTING-RELATED DISORDERS UNDER THE PTSD UMBRELLA, IT’S NOT AS STRAIGHTFORWARD AS THAT.

Just ask that Canadian firefighter Jadie Miller. Having survived a childhood of abandonment and abuse, she decided that the fire service, with its credos of service to community and risking a lot to save a lot, would be the perfect career for her – or as she puts it, “Because I am alive in the world of fire.”

interact and socialize with her family and experienced anger, forgetfulness, and nervousness. “I was in a collapsed state all the time.”

She did a 100-day deep dive trying to figure out what she had been exposed to physically and mentally. Sensors strapped to her body tracked where she went and when. She logged her heart’s activity, her urine, and her glucose.

MOST TELLINGLY, SHE STARTED TO LEARN THAT SHE WASN’T ALONE.

Desperate to find a definition for her ailment, Miller spent four years seeking the healing necessary to rejoin the firefighting community. PTSD, the “one-size-fits-all” diagnosis didn’t fit the bill, so she took her search worldwide.

It's no secret that PTSD is already commonly used as an umbrella term to cover a whole range of disturbing symptoms. For generations, soldiers and other combatants have come home from battle struggling with

But all of a sudden, ten years into her career, during a call at a townhouse fire she decided she “didn’t care”, telling her captain, “Let it burn.” Clearly something had gone wrong

And not only professionally. Miller explains that she lost her ability to

Which led her to Christopher Frueh, PhD, a researcher of treatments for PTSD. A clinical psychologist and widely-published author, Frueh (whose name is pronounced “free”) spent 15 years as a staff psychologist and director of the PTSD clinic at the Veteran Affairs Medical Center in Charleston, South Carolina and has over 30 years of professional experience working with military veterans and active-duty personnel. Miller decided to reach out to him because she felt he could help her –and her community. As Frueh recalls, “During Covid I got an email from her asking if she could talk to me, and she persuaded me to join her in her passion to help firefighters.”

7.7 MILLION

FIREFIGHTER-SYNDROME/

ACCORDING TO THE ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA THERE ARE SOME AMERICANS WHO ARE SUFFERING FROM PTSD.

Miller says in her usual selfdeprecating way, “I’m in awe that he said yes to some farm girl, and here he is in big fancy Hawaii.”

It is an unlikely collaboration: the American academic and researcher with over 200 professional publications under his belt, and the Canadian female firefighter who is the first person in her family to graduate from high school.

BUT TOGETHER THEY REALIZED THAT FIREFIGHTERS CAN EXPERIENCE AN ENORMOUS ARRAY OF SYMPTOMS IN THE COURSE OF THEIR PROFESSION, AND THAT THE MEDICAL WORLD HAS YET TO CONNECT THE DOTS BETWEEN THEM ALL.

It’s a bit like kids learning to paint. They’re trained to paint between the lines so that each color remains distinct and doesn’t touch any others. But it might be better to think about painting with watercolors, where colors overlap and blend together. It’s the same with medical symptoms— but what psychiatrist is likely to ask a firefighter about his testosterone

count? Would a GP, busy recording a patient’s blood pressure, ask about work-to-home transition difficulties?

FRUEH AND MILLER DECIDED THAT WHAT WAS NECESSARY WAS A WHOLE SYSTEMS FRAMEWORK, TO BE CALLED “FIREFIGHTER SYNDROME”, DESIGNED TO BETTER UNDERSTAND AND ADDRESS THE COMPLEX NEEDS OF THE PROFESSION.

“It’s time to stop sitting around drinking coffee and bitching about it. It’s time to do something,” says Miller.

In 2018, they co-founded PYROC Technologies Inc., dedicated to changing how society cares for and optimizes the performance of first responders. Its goals include the establishment of clinics (on a franchise model, ideally owned by first responders) to care for the mechanisms of injury that are specific to each type of responder and fill the gaps in the present system.

Among other aims, they plan to help the science community to acknowledge firefighter syndrome and encourage much-needed studies, while

ensuring that workplace insurance boards across North America recognize the syndrome and make it a “box you can tick.” And they hope that the IAFF and IAFC will engage PYROC so that everyone can collaborate to educate locals across the nation on behaviours, habits and collective amendments to protect firefighters.

In five years, Miller hopes that PYROC will still be driving change, having helped the science community acknowledge firefighter syndrome.

“WE ALL COME INTO SERVICE WITH WOUNDS AND THIS IS OK. IN FACT, IF WE DO THE HARD WORK OF UNDERSTANDING OUR WOUNDS AND HEALING THEM, THEY TURN INTO AN INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITY THAT MAKES US STRONGER. SORT OF A SECRET SUPERPOWER.”

And in this challenging profession, who couldn’t use a secret superpower?

For more insights by Miller and Frueh, check out their interview on episode 748 of the

If you’d like to learn more about PYROC, visit BEHIND THE SHIELD PODCAST PYROC.COM

IT’S A BIT LIKE KIDS LEARNING TO PAINT. THEY’RE TRAINED TO PAINT BETWEEN THE LINES SO THAT EACH COLOR REMAINS DISTINCT AND DOESN’T TOUCH ANY OTHERS. BUT IT MIGHT BE BETTER TO THINK ABOUT PAINTING WITH WATERCOLORS, WHERE COLORS OVERLAP AND BLEND TOGETHER.

COMICS

MADE BY FIREFIGHTERS FOR FIREFIGHTERS STORMSTICK DECON SYSTEM

No one understands the safety needs of firefighters better than the firefighters themselves. These firefighters have taken matters into our own hands to create powerful, innovative and effective products designed to do what they know needs to be done.

DOT SYSTEM

A group of active veteran firefighters from Phoenix, Arizona set out to find sciencebased solutions to reduce rising cancer rates among firefighters. They took a broad range of data then worked with engineers, machinists, and industry experts to design and manufacture the StormStick Decon System. Utilizing some of Arizona’s busiest fire companies, they extensively tested the system for over a year using virtually every type of real-world fire situation. The result is a premium system that is both usable and incredibly effective.

This patented detergent-based rinse system is proven to rapidly remove most of the hydrocarbons, heavy metals, particulates, and soot that water alone cannot. It is the most effective and usable preliminary exposure reduction system available.

Developed by firefighters from Sweden, the DOT System is a series of fire gear decon bags and accessories designed to encapsulate contaminated gear after a fire to minimize exposure to harmful contaminants. The DOT System, like Responder Wipes, is a “Healthy Firefighters” approved product and a part of an overall recommended protocol to protect firefighters from occupational cancer and other illnesses. The components are highly durable polyester reinforced polyvinyl chloride and are designed to be re-used for years. They can be easily cleaned in an extractor or washing machine and hung to dry quickly, minimizing environmental impact. Two of the bags also have welded seams and gas-tight zippers ensuring they won’t offgas!

CLEAN GETAWAY PORTABLE HOSE CLEANER

The Clean Getaway Hose Cleaner was designed by a Philadelphia firefighter to simply, efficiently, and effectively clean hoseline BEFORE restoring the apparatus and departing the scene. The portable, battery-powered unit utilizes pumper-supplied water via standard connection 1.5″. Its motor-driven brushes and pressurized water jets effectively remove soot and particulate-borne contaminants from hoseline. The cleaning efficacy of the Clean Getaway hose cleaner has been verified through multiple studies done in consultation and cooperation with textile experts at North Carolina State University.

SAFERSTRAPS

There is no silver bullet when it comes to mitigating exposure to toxins, so it’s important to utilize every piece of equipment available. You clean your gear, you clean your tools, you clean yourself, but do you clean your radio strap? Traditional leather or nylon radio straps can be nearly impossible to decontaminate. Their absorbent materials can harbor carcinogens and pathogens.

RESPONDER WIPES

Responder Wipes, co-developed by a fire chief from Texas, are formulated with Micellar Water, with cleansing compounds that dissolve dirt, oil, soot, and other hydrocarbons. Micelles gently lift away toxins and contaminants, sweep impurities from pores and effectively hydrate your skin. Available in three sizes, they contain no aloe or alcohol and have been shown to be not only powerful and safe on skin, but also biodegradable. They’re the thickest on the market with plenty of cleansing solution to leave you fresh and clean, and are “Healthy Firefighters” approved! Be sure to try Responder Wash, an activated charcoal shampoo + body wash recently added to the product line.

SaferStraps is a better option for you! Designed by Florida firefighters for firefighters, SaferStrap radio straps are fully sealed to ensure they are waterproof and can be completely decontaminated. They are made with 3M® High Vis for maximum safety, are heat resistant up to 310° before softening, and are durably constructed to withstand extreme elements.

Thin Red Line Decon was born out of a desire to make it easy for firefighters to be clean. It is understood that firefighters face a higher risk of occupational illness. Multiple studies suggest that dermal absorption is a greater route of exposure than inhalation or ingestion. Studies have also suggested the fireground mitigation efforts are effective at reducing the number of toxins after a fire.

However, there is no silver bullet. There are many ways to reduce the risk of occupational exposure. Thin Red Line Decon makes it easy – we bring all the BEST products together for you – products developed FOR firefighters BY firefighters. Everything you need to be clean – on-scene, back at the station, and in between!

To learn more about these products and more visit

THANK YOU FIRST RESPONDERS

WE CAN’T THANK YOU ENOUGH.

We’re inspired by your commitment to the community. Your support of Movember is more than we could’ve asked for – and has blown us away.

And even though moustache season is over, let’s make mental health a bigger part of the day-to-day. We’re here to help. It’s the least we can do to show how much we appreciate you.

If you’re with a group of firefighters and say you think that bullying has real, negative health effects, I’ll bet you get one of two responses.

From those who’ve never been bullied, it might range from mildly curious to a resounding “whatever.” From those who’ve been bullied, expect an eye roll and a “no kidding."

The truth is, bullying and its effects are very real. But like so much of human nature, it’s hard to measure, especially when what is good-natured ribbing to one person sure feels like bullying to another.

SUMMER 2023 | 69

IS THERE BULLYING MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH?

bullying

Bullying is a lot like the famous line about a case concerning pornography. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart simply wrote that he could not define it but, “I know it when I see it.”

Without a doubt, bullying exists in the fire service. But how prevalent is it? How does it differ from hazing, teasing or harassment? Are there cause-and-effect consequences? Is it always a physical threat, or can it be far more subtle? Sometimes it can be carried out by a group, not just an individual, and it certainly exists online as well as in person.

IT’S A SUBJECT THAT VEXES RESEARCHERS.

One 2019 study revealed that over 40 percent of women firefighters felt they experience bullying. A 2017 study done at a prominent East Coast fire department revealed that 37 percent of all first responders, regardless of race or gender, reported having experienced or witnessed bullying.

Because it appears to be so prevalent, there has been some serious scholarly work on bullying in the fire service. The work has begun, but much more is needed.

And for good reason. We don’t know the exact extent to which firefighters are bullied by their peers or superiors, but we do have data and anecdotal stories that range from cases of borderline teasing to some so horrific you can’t forget them.

One of those can’t-forget cases involved the suicide of 31-year-old firefighter Nicole Mittendorff, who was found dead after an

extensive missing-person search. In April 2016, Mittendorff, a Fairfax County, Va. firefighter and paramedic, went missing. After six days, her remains were found, along with a suicide note. The coroner determined her death was a suicide by hanging, and her disappearance threw light on an online chat room called Fairfax Underground.

Although the state police investigation found no connection between her death and bullying, the anonymous and sexist posts on Fairfax Underground began shortly after she joined the department. And they continued for years.

"I was alarmed and wanted to let the public know that there was this blog out there that was defaming female firefighters and medics, not only Nicole but others as well,” Jane McKinley, a retired federal government employee and Fairfax resident told WUSA9 in 2016.

While early research shows that women firefighters report higher incidents of bullying and harassing than do their male counterparts, men are targets as well.

In 2015 a Texas male volunteer firefighter recruit was sexually assaulted with a broom and a sausage – while the girlfriend of one of the assaulting firefighters made a video recording of the incident.

The Associated Press reported a year later that “felony aggravated sexual assault charges were dropped against the primary suspect and five other volunteer firefighters, and witness tampering charges were dropped against the chief and assistant chief of the Emergency Services District 6 Volunteer Fire Department, ending the case. Ellis County District Attorney Patrick Wilson says the victim agreed to the plea deal.”

Nor is it necessarily an American problem.

In 2019, Memet Yildirir, who had worked for the fire department in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, for 11 years, died by suicide while on duty. According to news reports, Yildirir had been the victim of bullying since 2017.

These cases highlight a few of the problems facing firefighter health and wellness researchers. First is that anecdotal reports like these are real, memorable and disturbing, but they do little to accurately show the extent of bullying in the fire service. They do not count as evidence, an area that needs to be based on sound data.

In a 2019 study led by Sara Jahnke that looked at the prevalence and health impacts of discrimination and harassment on female firefighters, researchers found a link between harassment and increased onthe-job injuries as well as negative mental health symptoms.

Jahnke, who is featured in this issue of CRACKYL's cover story, is a long-time fire service researcher who launched Science to the Station: A Health & Wellness Alliance (or Science Alliance for short), a platform to bring important health and wellness science to firefighters. She is also the director and a senior scientist with the Center for Fire Rescue & EMS Health Research at NDRI – USA.

Janke’s study surveyed more than 2,000 women career firefighters and split them into groups based on whether they experienced high, medium or low severity of harassment and discrimination.

Women firefighters in the high- and medium-severity groups were 120 percent and 35 percent, respectively, more likely to report one or more injuries in the previous 12 months when compared with those in the

low-severity category. When measuring for symptoms of depression, those in the high group were a whopping 300 percent more at risk than those in the lower group. Even the medium group were a significant 74 percent more likely to show symptoms. In terms of posttraumatic stress disorder, the high group was 150 percent more likely to meet that threshold — the risk for the medium group was 25 percent greater.

“We know bullying exists; it’s an ugly blemish on the fire service,” Jahnke says. “And early data shows that this blemish has real, tangible effects on our firefighters’ quality of life and their ability to do the job. We need to continue working to put hard data behind this issue, and attach it to compelling reallife stories to finally move the needle on this unacceptable part of our work lives.”

In 2022, fellow NDRI researchers Maria Koeppel and Brittany Hollerbach led a qualitative research project looking at bullying training in the fire service. (Qualitative research includes interviews and focus groups that probe deep into the experiences and beliefs of the participants.) One female fire service leader had this to say about the state of training as it relates to bullying:

“If people think watching a video is gonna turn an asshole into a nice guy or make someone with pretty severe mental issues in regard to women, minorities, smaller-statured men or whatever change their behavior or get them to sign a pledge…that’s ludicrous. Our typical fire service training is, ‘Don’t do this or you’re gonna get in trouble’... That doesn’t affect anyone. It may keep people’s hands in their pockets for a little while after the class, but as far as having a true experiential effect on people, those classes do not and never will work.”

One male participant said the training needs to go beyond the rank and file. He was concerned that officers may

not know how to handle complaints of bullying brought to them.

“Ultimately, we need serious, effective training all the way from the new recruit to the chief to recognize what bullying is and what to do when it occurs,” Jahnke says.

And while the solution to the bullying problem may seem as simple as reporting it to human resources, the issue is more nuanced in the fire service. Many volunteer and paid on-call departments are without full-blown human resources departments – if they have any at all. In some cases, human resources may be a chief, who may be involved in the bullying.

We also have a culture that involves hazing recruits. When hazing works, it helps bring them into the team. When it doesn’t – as in the 2015 Texas case – hazing can go horribly wrong. And there is always the very real pressure to not report bullying as it could further isolate the person from the team in a field where team dynamics and trust are so critical.

The fire service is not the only profession where bullying rears its nasty head, and while data from other industries – even similar professions like the military and law enforcement – exist, researchers cannot assume that the same results hold true for the fire service. Not until they do the research.

What we can learn from other studies into adult bullying are some of the ways to head it off.

The American Osteopathic Association’s survey on adult bullying found that 31 percent of adults reported being bullied – a rate similar to that of adolescents. It also found that adult bullying was related to significant mental and physical

consequences. Not only is this similar to what happens in childhood and adolescence, but it also aligns with the findings from firefighter health and wellness research.

An article, “Adult Bullying is a Thing, Too”, published by Psychology Today, gives seven steps people can take if they are being bullied. They include taking a stand, documenting everything, using your social support network, validating the experience, setting clear boundaries with the bully, practicing compassion (as the bully probably has been a victim at some point), and depersonalizing the behavior so it is not so much about the victim as it is about the bully.

In a 2019 piece published on CNN, Robert Sutton, author of the book “The A-hole Survival Guide: How to Deal With People Who Treat You Like Dirt”, also advised looking the bully in their eyes during an encounter. “You have much less empathy for human beings when you don’t see their face and don’t see their eyes,” Sutton told CNN. “When you don’t have eye contact with someone, you’re much more likely to be nasty, so it turns out eye contact can be very important.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE SCIENCE ALLIANCE AND TO ACCESS THIS AND OTHER FIREFIGHTER HEALTH AND WELLNESS RESEARCH FINDINGS, VISIT SCIENCE-ALLIANCE.ORG

AS THE RESEARCH DATA COMES IN, IT’S GOING TO TAKE THE ENTIRE FIRE SERVICE TO LOOK BULLYING SQUARE IN THE EYES AND LET IT KNOW IT NO LONGER HAS A SEAT AT OUR TABLE.

Connecting both your worlds

PROFESSIONAL PSYCHOLOGY

IN THE FIRE SERVICE

SPECIFIC NEEDS, SPECIAL SOLUTIONS

By Dr. Kristen Wheldon, President and Founder, Fire Service Psychology Association

It could be said that the field of psychology comes from the need to address mental illness through what we call “intervention.” When an individual shows symptoms of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, traumatic stress, addictions and other issues that impact their ability to function at school, work, home or in social environments, it becomes the job of the psychologist to identify and alter the “biopsychosocial” dynamics that caused the problems to arise.

Psychologists often work closely with others from the medical profession to determine if the symptoms are related to a medical issue. We position the person’s needs in the context of their social environment, and then identify the way in which their thoughts translate into emotions and ultimately, their behavior.

This is where most people encounter a psychologist, and this has framed the way most people understand the profession. It has remained a cornerstone of our practice but actually addresses only one of the major functions of our profession. Along with intervention, we assist

with assessments, operations, and organizational consultation.

The discipline of assessment spans across educational, occupational, and some personal applications. To assess something, we attempt to answer a specific question based on what we understand about the concept from research. Then, we can use specific

Unfortunately, our understanding of the fire service profession is limited since there is at this time little professional research. As a result, we borrow much of our understanding of first responders from the law enforcement profession. As time goes on, we hope to invest in the science of fire service psychology so that our technical skills and psychological

tools to not only determine whether someone meets a standard, but also evaluate whether they’re a good candidate for a job or are the best person for a supervisory role. This is all based on what we understand about the traits of successful first responders.

If a person shows worrying or dangerous behavior, we may do risk assessments or formulate an opinion as to whether that firefighter is safe to continue working in a particular role.

tools are specifically tuned to the fire service profession.

As a side note, it is important to understand that the psychologist who evaluates a firefighter is most likely not going to be the same professional who provides intervention services. We don’t want to bias our opinions and it is much better to not engage in dual relationships. It is also possible that the stigma of accessing services can develop if firefighters believe seeing a psychologist may potentially

THE TIME IS NOW TO INVEST IN FIRE SERVICE PSYCHOLOGY AS A TOOL FOR THE FIRE SERVICE OF TOMORROW.

impact their career negatively. It is important for psychologists and other mental health professionals to provide all the necessary information so firefighter clients can understand the nature and limits of confidentiality, the licences and scopes of practice of their profession, and the function of what they are doing with that particular person.

The role of psychologists in the operations of firefighting is not easily defined. In part, this is a result of society’s changing expectations of how firefighters engage with the community. Psychologists who assist with operations have typically focused on training law enforcement officers to understand mental health dynamics in the community.

This operational support has been focused on crisis intervention and hostage negotiation strategies. These skills are becoming more relevant to firefighters as the profession has recently been tasked with providing greater mental health support to the community through crisis intervention or transport services. Society has called for alternative resources over law enforcement to respond to incidents traditionally addressed by the police.

Operational support may also include the analysis and training of human factors related to fireground safety using crew resource management and developing a deeper understanding of the thoughts associated with task management, perceived fireground threats, as well as acquisition of emotional regulation skills.

Fire service organizations benefit from the contributions of professional psychology. We are trained to understand the behavior of not only individuals but the entire group. And when groups experience high rates of burnout, interpersonal challenges, post traumatic stress outcomes and other challenges, psychologists can provide organizational assessments to understand the current rates of the problem. They have been trained to implement programs to address these specific challenges and will be able to test the effectiveness of their programs. If modifications need to be made, they should have the specific skills to understand what to do.

Professional psychology in the fire service has often been singularly focused on intervention—in other words, we are focused on addressing individual dysfunction after it has occurred.

The fire service is trained to understand the importance of choosing the right tool for the job, but it appears we may have overlooked, on a broad scale, the value of professional psychology to contribute to all four domains of public safety psychology: assessment, operations, consultation, and intervention.

CULTURAL COMPETENCY CERTIFICATE

The clinician will attend the Understanding Fire Service Culture course which is sponsored by the American Psychological Association and earn corresponding continuing education units.

The clinician will attend hands-on training including a fire station tour, an introduction to apparatus basics, shift schedules, crew dynamics, an overview of two incident responses (Emergency Medical Services/Firefighting), as well as mayday protocols.

The clinician will complete a series of ride-a-longs with a "Clinician-Friendly Department" and have "The FSPA Task Book" completed and signed off by the training officer.

The clinician will complete a number of consultation hours with seasoned fire service psychologists.

The clinician will evaluate two firefighter cases and successfully identify the cultural variables inherent to the cases. They will be expected to demonstrate cultural competence and their responses will be reviewed by the FSPA committee to earn certification.

IS YOUR MENTAL TEMPERATURE IN CHECK?

As first responders, we have all seen the charts hanging on our station walls displaying a color range that a first responder might be feeling at any given moment.

MENTAL TEMPERATURE CHARTS HAVE EASY-TO-UNDERSTAND IDENTIFIERS SUCH AS RED MARKING THE POTENTIAL FOR ANGER AND EXPLOSIVENESS, ORANGE SHOWING FRUSTRATION AND IRRITABILITY, YELLOW A MORE WORRIED OR ANXIOUS STATE, AND GREEN A MELLOW STATE REPRESENTING CALM AND HAPPINESS.

By Leah Sobon

But did you know there is cool research behind these mental temperatures – specifically your emotional temperature, and how nature can affect it?

Science suggests that your mental temperature goes deeper than those laminated charts on the walls. How it affects your stress, energy, mood, and overall ability to think clearly and with reason actually correlates to the temperatures around you. That orange you placed yourself in at the start of your shift might be more than the feeling of starting a new set or another long shift.

An animal study done in 2019 suggested that a drop in atmospheric pressure can potentially affect a part of your brain that controls the body's stress response, creating an abundance of stress in advance of the need. In addition, it was found that higher temperatures are also responsible for increased stress

levels creating not only irritability but also the potential for aggressive behavior. Even pollen has been found to worsen mental health symptoms.

It’s no coincidence that on cloudy days we feel malaise, while sunny days bring about a new-found sense of energy and joy.

Time for a temperature check?

A methodology used in different settings around the world, a temperature check gives the first responder a chance to communicate thoughts and feelings, allowing for deeper conversation, interventions, or in many cases, camaraderie. First responders are often not alone in their thoughts and feelings.

Since we can’t always have a sunny day with a mid-70s temperature when we start our shifts, staying in tune with our mental temperature might help cut us some slack on the days that we can’t get anywhere nearer to green, whether that be talking with someone we trust, exercising, meditation, avoiding extra stimulation when we are already feeling anxious, or simply knowing when it’s time to take a day off work.

Use the chart as a guide but become your own expert at distinguishing what you need when you’re at those different temperatures in your career and what might be affecting them at the moment.

MENTAL HEALTH CONTINUUM MODEL

•

• nervousness / irritability

• sadness / overwhelmed

• anxiety / anger

• pervasive sadness

• excessive anxiety

• panic attacks

• takes things in stride

• good sense of humor

• consistent performance

• physically & socially active

• confident in self & others

• drinking in moderation

• displaced sarcasm

• procrastination

• forgetfulness

• trouble sleeping

• low energy

• muscle tension / headaches

• missing an occasional training or deadline

• decreased social activity

• drinking regularly or in binges to manage stress

• tearful / hopelessness

• worthlessness

• negative attitude

• difficulty concentrating

• trouble making decisions

• decreased performance

• regularly missing training, deadlines or other work

• restless disturbed sleep

• avoidance / social withdrawal

• increase used of alcohol

• easily enraged / aggressive

• depressed mood / numb

• cannot concentrate

• inability to make decisions

• cannot fall asleep / stay asleep

• constant fatigue / illness

• absent from social events / training

• suicidal thoughts / intent

• unusual sensory experiences (hearing or seeing things)

• hard to control seek professional care follow recommendations

• alcohol or other addiction

WEATHER DISORDERS

Meteoropathy a situation where shifts in the weather cause physical symptoms.

Seasonal Affective Disorder

ia situation where symptoms appear only at certain times of the year.

By Virginia Loewenstine MD, CEO and Medical Director of Tristate Preventive Health Consultants

SHOULD I BE CONCERNED ABOUT MY LACK OF SEX DRIVE?

Yes. It’s reasonable to be concerned because both physical and psychological reasons can be at play here. Low testosterone is a common cause that can be diagnosed by a simple blood test that should be done whether or not your low libido is bothering you. Testosterone is needed for other functions of the body unrelated to sex drive and low T can be easily treated. If that’s not the cause, try doing a mental inventory of other things that may be causing the problem, such as excessive fatigue, relationship issues, etc. Reach out to mental health professionals who can help with non-physical causes. Sex is an important part of our lives, just like sleeping and eating. Not only does it create pleasure, it also has many health benefits – so it’s best to look into the causes for your lack of sex drive.

IS IT SAFE TO TAKE SLEEPING AIDS REGULARLY? IF I DON’T, I CAN’T SLEEP.

That depends. Obviously, sleeping aids should never be taken while you’re on duty. Over the counter medications that have side effects of drowsiness (e.g. Benadryl) can help when offduty and do not pose any addiction issues. Prescription medications are available, but many may be habit-forming and not ideal if taken regularly. If you do take medicine to help you sleep, watch for drowsiness or excessive daytime sleepiness the following day. Your dose may need to be adjusted or you may need to take your medicine earlier in the evening. Non-pharmaceutical methods to induce sleep can help as well including creating a sleep ritual, not watching TV in the bedroom, doing yoga, and meditating, to name a few. Dietary methods include drinking a glass of milk, or eating turkey, chicken or tuna before bed. These all contain L-tryptophan, which is known to cause drowsiness.

I HAVE READ THAT THERE ARE TESTS THAT CAN NOW DETECT CANCERS BEFORE SYMPTOMS APPEAR. WOULD I BE A CANDIDATE FOR THAT TESTING?

Yes, there is new technology and much research is being done on Multi-Cancer Early Detection (MCED) tests. Two blood tests are now on the market and while neither is fully FDA approved, they should be soon. Because of the increased risk of overall cancers in firefighters, these tests show great promise in screening for possible problems. If an individual had a positive result on the blood test, a work-up with other testing would be done to provide an accurate diagnosis. Some fire departments have already started this testing and I would encourage discussion within your department.

I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT I SNORE LOUDLY AND MAY EVEN STOP BREATHING WHEN ASLEEP. SHOULD I BE CONCERNED AND WILL THIS AFFECT MY ABILITY TO WORK AS A FIREFIGHTER?

What you are describing may be sleep or obstructive apnea (OA) and you should undergo a sleep study. Most initial sleep studies are now done in the comfort of your home with no one observing you and with a device that allows you to sleep. Sleep apnea is a big concern for firefighters, both male and female. In addition to daytime sleepiness, OA has been known to have negative effects on the body including increased risk for diseases and additional strain on the heart. In the United States, the NFPA1582 recognizes OA as a condition that has to be treated for you to continue as a firefighter. Sleep apnea is easily treated. Most people, once treated, feel much better overall. Because of the negative effects on the body and the number of people who have OA but don’t know it, many fire departments have added Sleep Apnea Screening to their annual physicals.

VIRGINIA LOEWENSTINE MD

Virginia Loewenstine, MD, is the CEO and Medical Director of Tristate Preventive Health Consultants. With over 30 years of experience in Occupational and Preventive Medicine, her focus is improving the wellbeing of First Responders with an emphasis on early cancer detection and mental health. She has received many prestigious honors and awards throughout her career. As an educator to Fire Departments, she presents the latest in medical testing and other advances to assist Fire Departments in the design of their annual physical programs. Founded in 2007, Tristate Preventive Health Consultants provides medical consulting, on-site physicals, and medical testing nationwide.

To learn more about Tristate Preventive Health Consultants visit tristatepreventivehealth.com

To submit your questions to Dr. Loewenstine, email info@crackylbusinessmedia.com

I AM HAVING FLASHBACKS OF BAD RUNS – SOMEONE MENTIONED THAT “EMDR” MAY HELP ME. WHAT EXACTLY IS EMDR?

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is a newer, nontraditional form of psychotherapy shown to be effective in the healing process of PTSD and acute traumatic events. With the help of a trained psychologist, the process is simple and usually quick, unlike traditional talk psychotherapy. To understand EMDR, one needs to understand how the body reacts to an event or memory. When a disturbing life experience happens, the body reacts in a “flight or fight” scenario causing physical symptoms that we are all aware of. Once the event is over, even though the person may feel that they no longer react to the memory, the body still does. This connection between mind and body can cause years, or even a lifetime of distress.

The Rapid Eye Movement (REM) stage of sleep is where the body subconsciously processes memories. Using various techniques to simulate REM, the therapist guides the person through different thoughts and reactions surrounding the event. Some of these techniques include having the individual’s eyes follow the therapist’s finger, listening to drum beats going from one ear to the other, and finger tapping in a specific rhythm, among others. This guiding can be done in person or remotely as more and more trained therapists are offering this over the phone or the internet.

Through the eight protocols used by the therapist, the mind separates the memory from the body’s response. When successful (more times than not), the body no longer reacts when the memory is triggered, it merely recognizes it as just that – a memory.

The book, The Body Keeps the Score

by Bessel Van Der Kolk, MD is an excellent read and more info on EMDR can be found at: emdr.com

SLEEP APNEA IS A BIG CONCERN FOR FIREFIGHTERS, BOTH MALE AND FEMALE.

,,

PEACH AND PORK BURGERS WITH CLASSIC POTATO SALAD

Amp up your culinary game in the firehouse this BBQ season by teasing the savory with the sweet! Peaches are no longer just for dessert - and when you grill them up beside your pork burgers, the aromatics will be sure to win over anyone who thinks a fruit

can’t go up against a burger. Couple this dynamic duo with a side of classic (yes, that means with eggs!) potato salad and you better hope you made enough for seconds.

PREP TIME: 30 min

COOKING TIME: 10 min

COOLING TIME FOR POTATO SALAD : At least two hours

INGREDIENTS DIRECTIONS

PEACH AND PORK BURGERS

1½ lbs. ground pork

1 to 2 tbsp onion powder

salt & black pepper

1 large peach cut into slices (choose a firm peach so it keeps its shape on the grill)

1 tsp heart-healthy oil

4 hamburger buns or kaiser rolls

FOR GARNISH: arugula, Dijon mustard and crumbled goat cheese

CREAMY CLASSIC POTATO SALAD

3 pounds of your favorite potatoes

1¼ cups mayonnaise

1/3 cup relish

1 tsp celery salt

1 tsp Dijon mustard

4 hard-boiled eggs, diced

½ cup of thinly sliced onion (choose your favorite: hot, red, sweet or green)

salt & black pepper

1. Combine ground pork and onion powder and shape into patties. Season with salt and pepper or your favorite pork-friendly spice.

2. Barbecue over medium-high heat until cooked to a temp of 160 degrees F (approx. four to five minutes per side).

3. Toss your peach slices with oil and grill two minutes per side.

4. Dress the burgers with the warmed peach slices, arugula, Dijon and crumbled goat cheese. To add some heat to this recipe, choose a hot Dijon that will compliment the pork and the peaches!

Simple is best for potato salads and this can’t get any easier.

1. Chop potatoes into equal size chunks and cook until fork-tender. Drain and cool.

2. Once cool, combine them with the mayonnaise mixed with the relish, mustard and seasonings.

3. Chill for at least two hours (longer is better). Enjoy!

MIX THINGS UP!

Don’t be afraid! Try a new style of relish like corn, artichoke or hot pepper to add some new flavors and textures to your dish.

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