Nicknames
I have yet to previously name any of my fellow recruits, and I will continue to keep their anonymity safe, but I will use their nicknames. Some of these nicknames have been earned in academy and others have been assigned by me. Generally nicknames are earned in life and in Fire Academy by performing a stupid action. Some of those stupid actions may be included in my stories.
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PHYSICAL TRAINING - CROSSFIT
As we began Fire Academy it was evident that training is the key to being a good firefighter. Continuing to train will make you a great firefighter.
Our first full day of academy we had Physical Training. Our Academy participates in Crossfit. Crossfit is a training method of mixed aerobic, anaerobic, strength and core conditioning workouts. If you want to know more, check it out here.
I also found this woman's success inspiring. Read her Imperfect Life blog.
These Crossfit workouts are the most grueling 10 minutes of my week. Our trainer is a brilliant man who works hard to get our firefighters in peak condition and able to face the rigorous challenges we'll face on the fireground. He is also very aware of our individual physical condition and ensures that we are not going to hurt ourselves.
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| CrossFit Trainer Certification © Cylon |
[Disclaimer: I'm not a medical or physical fitness professional. Don't hurt yourself and try to sue me.]
I wish I had not waited until academy began to begin training. If you are a weight lifter, you might think about starting a running program. Can you run a 5k in your sleep? You're going to need to start building some muscle and balance. Yoga and calisthenics are great. This is a cardio-strength fitness program so work on both as soon as you pass CPAT.
Get ready for more squats than you ever want to think about. Learn how to do the exercises correctly or get used to hearing, "NO REP!" right in your ear.
Our first workout was a series of sprints, bear crawls, burpees, and sit-ups. I almost threw up but I knew better than to eat breakfast.
Here are my tips for surviving CrossFit:
• Stay hydrated - Drink water like it's your job, always carry a water bottle.
• Stay rested - 8-9 hours of sleep - mandatory.
• Stretch - Before and after.
• Take your warm-up seriously otherwise you'll hurt yourself.
• Breath! Learn to breath through every exercise.
• Push yourself. Don't quit, EVER!
I noticed that the class quickly separated into those of us who really needed some conditioning, those who could keep up, and those who were champions.
One brother who I'll call "Moustache," is a Crossfit champ. This guy is in great shape and really hammers through the work-outs. Needless to say he is at the top of our class chart and he's going to stay there. In comparison I have been hanging out somewhere between 13-15, in a class of 21, depending on the day and the workout.
To be honest, I'm not in great shape. I have spent almost 20 years being slightly out of shape and then obese. I have never played sports or been active and I did not eat a healthy diet. To make things worse I lived a sedentary life and work all day at a desk. I have changed that in the last 3-4 years but I have a lot of work to go. Though my scores may seem pathetic I have earned them. I worked hard during every workout and tried my best to give every rep all I could muster.
Cheater!
Here's my gripe in this post. If you know me, you know I'll work hard at anything I do. It is my nature to do my best. These work-outs are painful, stressful, difficult, and strenuous but I never cheat. I don't want to cheat myself out of making myself a stronger, better, and faster firefighter. In fact, I'm training to save lives, including my own. So why would you cheat during a workout?!
I won't lie. There have been times where no one was looking and I could have not done a full squat or skipped a few pushups/situps. I wanted to, really I did. But even if no one else knew, I would know that I cheated myself out of making myself stronger and ready for this job.
I know it shouldn't bug me but one recruit who I'll call "Cap'n Brown," constantly cheats by missing reps and recording scores that he did not earn. Sometimes that drops me a place on our chart. It bugs me because he hasn't earned his rank, his integrity is now in question (at least with me), and despite my best efforts, I can't workout harder than he lies.
What I'm trying to say here is, "Don't cheat yourself out of training or a good reputation."
Look for more Crossfit stories to come.
Integrity
Speaking of integrity and nicknames, here is how another brother earned his nickname of "Buffalo". One night after academy he joined his family for food and drinks at Buffalo Wild Wings. He neglected to change out of his "RECRUIT" uniform and was spotted by a member of the department.
The next night before we donned our PPE, Chief yelled, "I wanna know who was at Buffalo Wild Wings in their uniform."
As we stood in formation I looked around to see who would answer for their indiscretion. I saw my brother from my company step forward.
"You will all do 20 pushups. We succeed as a team and we screw up as a team. We all pay for it... as a team," yelled the Chief.
"Buffalo" as he is now called, was responsible for counting our reps that night. As he stood and watched us all pay for his mistake, I couldn't help but be thankful for his integrity. Had he not owned up to it we would have all paid a far worse price.
It was a lesson that we are accountable for our actions and representatives of our community and our brotherhood. Though it was a painful lesson, it was a successful lesson.
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WATER RESCUE
Our fire department has a specialized search and rescue team that trains specifically in regard to water rescue. As part of our Fire Academy we spent a day familiarizing ourselves with water rescue techniques, terms, and tools.
We drove out to a lake nearby and each company took turns jumping out of the boat and being hauled back in, hauling each other into the boat, throwing floating rope bags, and familiarizing ourselves with retrieval hooks.
An interesting thing I learned that day: Life jackets save lives. Don't make excuses - always wear a life jacket in the water.
The most interesting thing that happened that day was while several companies waited for their turn on the boat, two older ladies pulled up near the dock with a canoe sticking out of the back of their van. It was an amusing sight. Most of us stood around joking about the days events or talking about our studies. What happened next really opened my eyes as and reminded me why I was in fire academy.
Two recruits took it upon themselves to offer their help to these ladies and carried their canoe to shore for them.
Although it was not a death defying rescue nor heroic, it was impressive. Their action reminded me that I am training to serve my community. It is my honor and duty to help whenever and however I may.
I vowed from that day on that I would not pass any opportunity to serve my community, now matter how small the action is.
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How did you earn your nickname? What physical training do you do? Why have you chosen to serve your community?
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