“Integrity.” It’s a common word that you’ll see in the fire service. It can be found on job postings. It can be found in interview questions. It can be found in department motto’s or mission statements. It can be found painted on the side of rigs or embroidered on a duty shirt. It’s found everywhere in the fire service, and spoken a lot of. I’m sure in the minds of those we serve, it is a word they use to describe us. And we too, may throw this word around a lot.
In many ways, we may display this word with our daily actions and deeds, but let’s take a more in depth look at the word itself. According to dictionary.com, “Integrity” is:
1. Adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.
2. The state of being whole, entire, or undiminished.
3. A sound, unimpaired, or perfect condition.
So how about you? Do you have and display “Integrity” as a firefighter? Let’s take this a step further. Do you display “integrity” with your physical condition and in your physical capacity to do the job well? This is a question that constantly plagues me and one that I hope plagues you. After reading this it will hopefully be on your mind.
You see, I’m in the mindset now, through the supportive community of CrossFit 4 Fire, that it’s not necessarily about pursuing perfection in physical fitness. Most importantly, its having the integrity and honesty in asking yourself, “Am I where I should be at fitness wise?”
Can I climb 60-70 flights of stairs just to get to the fire, just like the 343? Can I climb 50 flights of stairs period? Can I perform a functional deadlift and drag in full gear in high heat if my partner were to go down? Above all, have the integrity to ask yourself, “Am I getting better, or am I getting worse?”
Eventually you need to have the integrity to step up and make a choice. I am going to get better. I am going to get more fit than I was a week ago, a month ago, a year ago! I’m thankful for CrossFit 4 Fire striving to bring us the resources needed to do that. It all starts however, with the courage to slay the dragon of our EGO, and have the integrity to say I’m not where I should be at, and right now I make a choice to take that step. CrossFit 4 Fire is here to help you with that step. It’s a supportive community to direct you in steps that you can start taking now.
So where do you start? How much is too much? You may be saying to yourself, “I’ve seen those CrossFit workouts! They’re crazy! I can’t do that!” And I’m here to tell you that you can. One step at a time, you can! The biggest thing is to take that first step. Make small adjustments, or if you’re the “all-in type” go for it! Either way, keep in mind CrossFit encourages an approach like this:
Start making adjustments to your nutrition. Too many people address workouts, but don’t seriously address their nutrition. Your nutrition is the base of the pyramid, if it’s not sound, the rest of your fitness will topple. One of the things I appreciate about CrossFit, if your nutrition is terrible, your WOD (workout of the day) will feel terrible! If your nutrition is good, you will feel much better during the workout. As you make better nutritional choices, your fitness will surely improve!
From there, start making positive choices about your activities and workouts. Keep in mind, CrossFit boils down to “constantly varied, functional movements, done at high intensity.” Log onto www.crossfit.com and start trying some of the workouts and watching some of the videos under the “Exercises and Demos” tab, it’s all free! Google search and find the nearest CrossFit affiliate in your area, and go check them out. Work with a coach and other people. There’s over 4000 affiliates in the world, check out their web pages for helpful information and workout ideas. Or even personally email Cole Henn (cole@crossfitlincoln.com) or myself (kromshek@hotmail.com) and we’ll do our best to help you out. We’ve learned a lot about coaching, from challenging professional level athletes, to scaling for beginners.
And lastly, as firefighters, we must not neglect the top of the pyramid: “Sport/Specialty.” We must train for the tasks that we are called to do at a fire scene or a medical. Throw ladders. Pull hose. Swing a sledge. Lift and carry the hydraulic tools. Run stairs with gear or weighted vest. Lift heavy things, to train yourself to lift heavy patients. “Practice like you play,” or practice like we’re called to perform!
So have some integrity, and be honest with yourself! Are you where you should be fitness or health wise? If not, are you taking steps forward, or backwards? Step out of your comfort zone, check your ego, and seek help. Keep checking back at www.crossfit4fire.blogspot.com, like us on facebook, listen to us on Fire Engineering Radio, or email us, and we’ll do our best to help you out and connect you with the resources you need.
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