Well...the MRI results are in. Some minor damage done to the bicep and shoulder. Ahhh...what do you do! Drink more beer and do more situps I guess. Squat some heavy shit and move on....
12 minute amrap
5 ring rows
8 20" box jumps
15 situps
10 rounds + 7 reps
If you haven't heard by now, you're probably the last person on earth to hear about the TRAGIC loss in Chicago. At 7:30ish A.M. on Wednesday 12/22/10 a few Chicago firefighters had a roof cave in on them. Firefighters Corey Ankum & Edward Stringer were killed. It hurts man...I'm not gonna lie. My 2 former co-workers left my department to go work for Chicago last year. A friend that I graduated the fire academy works for Chicago. The Chicagoland fire service is a very tight knit community. Somehow every firefighter knows each other somehow or somewhat. Every firefighter that has walked through CFWC's door, I've known or met previously. It's that small of a firefighting world.
News media will shine light on the fact that the building that they were operating in was vacant. Civilians would reason, why would you risk your life on a vacant building.
1. Firefighters don't consider vacant buildings to be unoccupied
2. Homeless people tend to occupy vacant buildings
3. Kids tend to play in vacant buildings
The reasons can continue. There have been numerous times when a fire has errupted in a building deemed vacant and victims were removed alive/dead. Do a google search on fire ground searches. It's one of the most talked about topics in the fire service. Some fire departments conduct a victim survivability profile, when arriving on a house fire.
How would you feel if your house is on fire, you know your son/daughter is in their bed. The fire chief tells you that he's 99% sure that your child is dead and we won't search for him/her. It's complete bullshit. When I go to work, I'm 100% ready to give everything I got to save someone. Those men passed away on Wednesday doing just that. Doing the most noble thing a fireman can do. No one wants to die, but we took this job knowing the risks associated with it. Tomorrow, I'll get on my rig for 24 hours and continue to do my job proudly. I thank my family so much for being supportive and allowing me to do a job I love. I know my wife appreciates the sound of the garage door opening the morning I'm due home. I'm sure it's a sigh of relief that I've made it home safely AGAIN.
I hear all the time, I'm sure Crossfit helps you with your job alot. My answer is NOT really. Co-workers of mine are always nagging me that I'll get injured. Sure as shit, this month I suffered an injury. I hear all the time, it's firefighters who workout like mad men that get hurt. You can't get hurt if you stay away from the gym. It's a lifestyle/occupation that most people don't understand. It's taken me a while, but I'm starting to understand why many firefighters don't crossfit or exercise. It's not every day that a firefighter dies, but can you say that you would want to Crossfit after having a morning like the Chicago Firefighters did today. So many mornings, I'd rather just come home from work and go back to bed. Spending the day in a pond of ice, fighting a small fire, cutting people out of cars, etc. don't really equate to "rest days".
Being an elite athlete doesn't make you a good fireman. Being an expert with your airpack, halligan bar, fire hose, fire engine water pump, practicing searches, live fire training, knowing building construction, knowing fire behavior. That's the stuff that helps with my job.
I do Crossfit and lift weights, simply because I love lifting heavy shit. I eat paleo simply because I care about my health. I go to CFWC simply because I love the people. A little bum shoulder won't deter me from crossfitting.
Enjoy your Xmas....Love ya'll and let's pray for no more fire service fatalities throughout the USA for the rest of 2010.
On a parting note...if you want to listen to what transpired at the chicago fire....audio of the first 90 minutes of that scene.
http://alertpage1.posterous.com/chicagoil-building-collapse-and-mayday-1744-7
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