Background
Mike is a member of Indianapolis Professional Fire Fighters, IAFF Local 416, and currently serves as a Captain for the Wayne Township Fire Department in Indiana who is assigned to the Battalion 80 Executive Officer position on A Shift. He has also worked as a backstepper assigned to a Ladder Company, the department’s Peer Fitness Coordinator, the Lieutenant on a HAZMAT Engine, and acted for almost a year as the department’s Health and Safety Chief where was responsible for managing the departments Safety Officers, Tactical Support Unit, Peer Fitness Trainers, and Peer Support Team. He has been with his department for close to 13 years. Mike became a certified Peer Fitness Trainer (PFT) in 2012, and joined the instructor cadre in 2014. In his role as an instructor, he has delivered multiple in-person and virtual courses to departments across the United States and Canada. Being able to make an impact in the pursuit of fire fighter wellness beyond his station and department is something that Mike relishes most about serving in this role.
In 2013, Mike assumed the role of PFT Coordinator for his department. In this role, Mike was responsible for managing all of the PFTs in his department as well as designing and implementing physical training and wellness systems for recruit classes. His biggest passion is working with recruits, especially helping them establish resilient movement habits. In Mike’s opinion, there is something powerful about wrapping up a 20-week academy and having a new recruit who is about to hit the street come up to him and say “this is the best physically I have ever felt in my life”. Mike has also been an ACE Certified Health Coach since 2019, and actively engages in professional development for his own betterment, along with that of the team of professionals he manages.
Activity Habits
Outside of work, Mike is married and has two daughters aged 13 and 14. If he had to describe life outside of the fire service with one word it would be “busy”! Mike works out at the gym about 5 times a week and likes to follow a routine. He also plays recreational basketball in local leagues as well as in his church league on Sunday evenings. Mike was a three-sport athlete in high school, and he enjoys remaining engaged in competitive physical endeavors. Outdoors is his ideal environment to be physically active, whether that is doing maintenance on the house, or enjoying a hike with his family.
Mike’s motivation to be active comes primarily from his family. If his kids say “hey Dad, I want to go and do this”, he wants to have the capacity to go and do it; period. The job of a fire fighter is also physically demanding. By staying physically active, Mike knows he is putting himself in the best position to be safe and effective while at work. The challenges Mike faces in being physically active come down to managing his time and energy for all the things that require his attention on a daily basis. There is always something else that he could be doing with this time: general housework, renovations, or attending to the various activities his kids are involved with, for example. With that said, he never regrets being physically active and feels like it focuses him and gets him on track to take care of all the things he needs to get done.
Perspectives on F2T and fire fighter wellness and fitness
In Mike’s opinion, the F2T program is unique because it considers how other aspects of overall fire fighter well-being (e.g., psychological and social well-being) impact a fire fighter’s physical fitness. In other words, he believes the program takes an all-encompassing approach to helping more fire fighters, be more active, more often. The one thing he would like every fire fighter/department to know about the F2T program, is what is in it for them and what value they are going to get out of a program such as this. In his opinion, by adhering to the program they will see short-term changes in health and wellness which will accrue over time and increase the likelihood that a fire fighter can enjoy their retirement under their terms.
The two words Mike would use to describe the value of wellness and fitness for fire fighters is future investment. He would advise fire fighters thinking about investing in their wellness and fitness that the work they put into today will pay dividends down the line. By taking a focused approach investing in new behaviors they can achieve positive outcomes in their overall health which can impact the things that matter most to them.
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