Sue Shepherd

Background

Sue retired from the Indianapolis Fire Department (IFD) in 2021 after 21 years of service. She was a member of Indianapolis Professional Fire Fighters, IAFF Local 416. Over the course of her career she assumed many different roles in her department, such as ‘back-step’ fire fighter, certified driver/pump operator, and certified acting officer. In addition to her operational roles, Sue was the wellness and fitness coordinator for IFD. In this capacity she assumed a leadership role for many of the wellness-fitness initiatives undertaken in the department during her tenure, and acted as a CPAT administrator during the departments’ hiring process.

Sue became a certified Peer Fitness Trainer (PFT) in 2003 and shortly thereafter in 2005 became a member of the instructor cadre. Sue feels incredibly lucky to have taught as may courses as she has over her long standing tenure as a member of the cadre. She always enjoys her interactions with students and fellow cadre members, and particularly enjoys helping fire fighters cultivate their “why” for pursuing better wellness and fitness. In her experience, regardless of department size or geographic location, fire fighters always find common ground to tread on stemming from their shared experiences.

Activity Habits

Since retiring from the fire service, Sue has continued working as a personal trainer at Indy Muscle & Joint Clinic, where she leads one-on-one and small group training sessions. She loves her role at the clinic because it allows her to carry on the mission of the F2T program on a day-to-day basis. Sue remains committed to advancing fire fighter health and wellness as a member of the instructor cadre and looks froward to continuing to support the fire community. Although being officially retired, Sue continues to remain committed to balancing work and non-work hours. She retired 5 years sooner than planned due to the cumulative adverse impacts of losing multiple people she loved, chronic sleep deprivation, and an inability to find that “work-life balance”. Her personal experiences have taught her the importance of developing and respecting boundaries to one’s physical, mental and emotional health.

Physical activity and exercise remain an important part of Sue’s life. She loves training with her own body weight, kettlebells, sandbags, and the TRX suspension trainer. Outdoor activities like hiking are also a favorite thing for her to do. Her motivation to stay active stems from a handful of sources. Like most people, the desire to look fit, be healthy, and be happy get her moving. She is also motivated by the desire not to be restricted by her orthopedic issues (She has already had both hips replaced due to the wear and tear accumulated over the course of her career). Lastly, as much as Sue appreciates the effects movement has on the body, she recognizes how indispensable movement is for brain health. Her mother’s last years were spent in a memory care unit of a nursing home, so brain fitness for her is as important as physical fitness.

Perspectives on F2T and fire fighter wellness and fitness

In Sue’s opinion, the F2T program is unique because it takes a holistic approach to fire fighter fitness and wellness. The program acknowledges and celebrates the fact that fire fighters have diverse interests and priorities that extend beyond the job, while at the same time emphasizing the significant position the job holds in a fire fighter’s life. Sue believes that by taking this approach the program has the capacity to reach more fire fighters because it meets them where they are, and helps them make progress towards goals that matter to them.

The two words Sue would use to describe the value of the F2T program are empowering and limitless. Sue would advise fire fighters thinking about investing in their wellness and fitness to do it right away and not to hesitate. She feels strongly that fire fighters will see an amazing return on investment that will pay dividends both during their career, and into retirement.