“I Became a Professional Firefighter…” By: Tim Casey

by California Casualty | Firefighters | 0 comments

Tim Casey describes himself as, “a retired firefighter/paramedic, author, lecturer, public speaker and an alcoholic. As a public servant for more than 30 years, I know the hero business from the inside out, and I also know the costs of that profession; the human cost. My passion is trying to help save the lives of lifesavers. Firefighters are dying in record numbers, not on the job but by their own hands. Clinicians and therapists, although well intentioned, do not know how to help emergency workers and I want to help them understand us, and maybe save some lives along the way.

I became a professional firefighter/paramedic at 19 years of age and proceeded to work in that field for the next 31 years. Best job I ever had, the worst job I ever had, and it spanned four decades from 1979 until I retired in 2009. I delivered nine babies over those years, helped save hundreds of lives, and fought enough fire to keep me content into my golden years.

I became a firefighter quite by accident. Right out of high school, I went to work at the largest car dealership in my hometown. Things were going along well until the day I gave my unsolicited opinion to the general manager of the store. He admired the frankness of what I had to say but not the content of my statement.
Later that same day I called my father to tell him the news of my recent separation from work and to ask if he might be aware of any job openings. As in turned out he did know someone was hiring. The chief of a small fire department on the outskirts of town was looking for a firefighter. The next day I interviewed for the position and the day after that I was a fireman.

 
Looking back, I was too young, inexperienced, and naive to have made that decision; I had no idea of what was to come. I had stumbled into the coolest jobs any man could have. Overnight I went from being a zero to being a hero, an American icon, a firefighter.

 
I quite literally grew up in fire stations; I started as a teenager, I was married and divorced twice while I was a firefighter, I had three children, became an alcoholic, and survived a suicide attempt over those years. Throughout my entire adult life I was always part of a team and had tremendous resources available to me for all my decision-making – my fellow firefighters were more than willing to help me, especially the older guys who got a vicarious thrill out of hearing about my adventures.

 
The belief that we as firefighters are a brotherhood and sisterhood is deeply ingrained in our psyches from the outset of our career. No one outside our culture has any grasp on what it is to be a firefighter. People can imagine, but they can only guess how they might feel if they were confronted with the realities of our job.

 
However, their best guesses are based on film, TV, or literature; they are just that, a guess. If you have never walked in our boots, never walked through fire, death, and disaster, then you will never get it, you will never understand how we feel about each other.

 
That culture is one of the biggest problems facing the fire service, the notion that being a firefighter prevents us from being normal feeling people, from having emotions, from the damage our experiences, burden us with. It has to be abandoned, or we will suffer more and more tragedies like a result of “pulling on our big boy pants.”

 
We must learn to care for our own with the same vigor we extend to our customers. We must protect our people from these horrors, care for each other and our families, or we will attend more funerals and us will suffer the loss of great people because of pride, toughness, and bravado. I share my personal story of alcoholism and suicide so that when another firefighter is suffering and feeling they are alone in their struggle, they know they are not alone – that at least one other firefighter has stood in their shoes and made it out of the darkness. It’s me; I have, and I am willing to help in anyway I can.

Below are links to some valuable resources for a starting point.

4-steps-to-help-a-mentally-distressed-firefighter

Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance

Initiative 13

Firefighter Fitness: Life After Amputation

by California Casualty | Firefighters | 4 comments

Jeff Bryan is a firefighter who doesn’t let adversity keep him down. Jeff returned to full time work in March 2015, just slightly less than a year after his right leg was amputated below the knee. Jeff severely injured that leg in a 1991 skiing accident in Colorado. He “limped by” in pain until doctors determined the leg had to be removed. Jeff, who is a firefighter and EMT Intermediate with the Ute Mountain Fire Department in southwest Colorado, refused to let the amputation keep him down. He was released from the hospital on his 50^th birthday. He says there were two ways to go: give up and feel sorry for himself or push forward and beat it – he chose to move beyond and conquer it.

As soon as he was able, he started bicycling, ice climbing, paddle boarding, swimming and yoga. As far as anyone can determine, Jeff is the only firefighter in Colorado to return to full-time active duty after a leg amputation. Jeff does not want to be known as the firefighter who lost a leg, but the guy who works hard to stay in shape and be the best EMT/firefighter he can.

What’s his philosophy and how does he train? He spells it out here in his own words:

In 1991, I suffered a commuted fracture of my tibia while skiing in Breckenridge, CO. It was during this injury that I first trained to get my life back.

In 2011 I had an ankle replacement. I once again undertook the task of regaining my fitness; however, I never regained my top physical condition. For the next 3 years I worked in unbearable pain. I basically, worked, slept and trained in the gym. I developed high blood pressure. I was getting sick.

On March 20, 2013 I worked a 72. On the 23rd I clocked out and headed to Vail to meet my doctors. Four days later, I was told my best option was amputation. I spent the next three days lying in bed. During this time I made the decision that failure was not an option.

On April 22, 2014 I had a below the knee amputation.  I went for an Ertl amputation since I qualified. The Ertl procedure is designed to build muscle and preserve bone that will support prosthetic devices for those who plan to be active. The surgery went well and I was released from the hospital 4/26, my 50th Birthday.

Now 30 pounds overweight, I had a huge undertaking. I needed to lose the 30 pounds and fulfill my goal of returning to active duty. 50 years old, overweight and now an amputee!

I started out just the way I did in 1991. At four weeks I started riding the bike with one leg.  At six weeks I received my first prosthetic and was on my way to PT. I followed my instructions to a tee. I continued to bike and work on balance. At this time I also started yoga.

At my age I did not need to increase my calorie intake above 2000 calories a day. I eat a balanced diet, consisting of plenty of fruits and vegetables, chicken and grass fed beef, which I purchase by the half cow.  Once a week I splurged and enjoy a bowl of Ice cream. I drink water, 10-12 glasses a day. I never drink soda.

Within a week of getting my first prosthetic I went out on my stand up paddle board.  I spent a lot of time swimming, paddling, spinning and lifting. I am a firm believer in high reps, low weight.

We all hear the term crossfit. I do not do a crossfit program. I am a firm believer in cross training, consisting of cardio, core, flexibility and strength training. As I progressed, I started to add new activities. In July, I started rock climbing. In August, I started biking outside.

At 50 years old, avoiding injury is key. Yoga or a good stretching routine should be done daily. Cardio should be done a minimum of three days a week. I prefer four or five, but three will work. I do weight training four days a week. All my weight lifting is done either after cardio or after I ride my bike to the gym. I never lift heavy. I keep my reps at a minimum of 12. I usually do sets of 16-24. I lift for endurance, strength and elongated muscle.  Heavy lifting will not only decrease flexibility, it will Increase your risk of injury.

The idea is to move fluidly between cardio and strength while resting as little as possible. As I progressed I added more activities. I started to climb ice, backcountry ski, bike hard and stick to my routine. The idea is to mix it up and have fun.

In January I started ice climbing again. I was climbing strong and climbed as much as I could. I started riding single track on my mountain bike in March. I mix it up as much as possible. Your workout should not be a chore, it should be fun. If you’re not having fun, try something different. Start slow and increase your intensity. I add weight very gradually. I make sure I can do a set of 24 before I up my weight.  My bike rides started out at five miles. I am now averaging about 25 per ride on my road bike and 10 miles a day on single track. Just remember Cardio, Core, Flexibility and Strength.

As the seasons change, I take advantage of the weather. I cross country ski, climb, bike or paddle. I still do a minimum of four days lifting; once again, never with heavy weight. I am a true believer that flexibility, elongated muscle, core strength and endurance is the key, especially for firefighters and first responders (more on that in coming articles).

And, all this is working. At nine months I was cleared for full duty by my doctor. At 11 months, I had cleared my final physical. In March, I returned to full duty as a line firefighter and my first shift was 3/7/15.

*Note- Jeff completed the first 30 days of his 90 day probation on April 7 without any issues. He is committed to being the best first responder he can, serving the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe of Southwest Colorado.