#Beastmode

One of the only things in the fire service that is 100% guaranteed is that you will be faced with an opportunity to make a difference in somebody’s life at some point.

How you accept that challenge is up to you. The way you mitigate tomorrow’s situations is based, in part, on how you prepare today.

In my last article, “Junkyard Dog”, I talked about the attitude to get the job done, the step up and “do work, get shit done” mindset. But to have the confidence to “do work” you must drill the skills, and the information, of all aspects of the job, into your brain. Make your hands perform skills so much that it becomes muscle memory. You need the same “step-up and kill the objective” eagerness in training as you do on the fire ground or at the next MVA.

Beast mode is that gear you kick into when you need to get shit done now. Adrenaline dumps into your bloodstream. Your pupils dilate. Everything locks into place. Your Halligan placement is swift. Your sledge swings are loaded and on point. Beast mode is that intense focus, that massive groove where you’re inner animalistic nature becomes perfect execution. Heighten 6th sense, eyes in the back of your head, salivating, sweat shedding, target on lock, predatory beast-mode.  You are the predator and the fire is your prey.

You must prepare, train, practice at the same aggressive and confident speed that you will perform on scene. The tempo of how firefighters train falls directly on their mentors and the men/women teaching. Training builds confidence. Our confidence in our abilities creates a sense of relieving hope in the citizens we have to help. Objective completion in a quick and effective manner resulting in every responder going home safe and the situational problem solved breeds pride in ourselves and our brothers. Which in turn creates a better attitude during the next training. Sounds like a never ending cycle of “get shit done” awesomeness right?!?!

Do work brothers. #beastmode