The Daily Stretch And Flow
I look over to my left and ask the senior to pull to the curb. We’re in one of our older neighborhoods that is experiencing the growing pains of the city. Old houses and legacy neighborhoods being transitioned to high end housing and Air BNBs. There’s a small single story abandoned commercial just waiting for some attention. I spin around and lean on the doghouse, get the rookie backstep’s attention and tell him I want a stretch to the front door and I’ll see him in a few once I walk around. He looks at me with this “really?” expression. Not “really, like are you kidding me?” but “really, like hell ye!” I step off the rig and get three sides on the building while he’s stretching off the passenger side. A neighbor steps out looking concerned and curious, so I walk over and let her know we’re just getting a rep in and that we try to do this in our neighborhoods everyday so we can stay ready and know our territory. She smiles a thank you smile, I wave and turn around to find the rook at the door. Hose is stretched and charged, no place for kinks, the first 50’ is laid out perfectly for entry and flow past the hinge side, and he’s grinning from ear to ear. All I can think is, “I know kid, I love this shit too.”
And that was it, the grin that solidified it for me. It made me believe what I already knew to be true, and what I already knew had to happen everyday for the rest of my career, however long or short that would be. Everyday…get a rep in, practice the craft, get a mental win, and do it together. You and the crew, where the best wins happen on the job. It blows my mind how no matter what kind of bs is coming down the pipe, or what attitude problem or life exhaustion any of us are experiencing, getting back to the good work of this great profession gets us back right. Going to work gets the bubble back in the middle. Going to work gets our minds reset. Going to work reignites our love for the job. Going to work brings us closer together. Going to work gets us back to the best part of the job, doing things together that will make a difference somewhere in the future for those we protect. When we tell our people “We are coming for you” we not only have to mean it, we have to be skilled and purposeful in that promise. Getting hired and wearing the tee doesn’t solve the problems we’ll face. Going to work does, getting a rep in every day does, stretching and flowing does. Our willingness “to do” is where our fire service value is recognized.
So, to be honest, it really doesn’t matter where you’re at in your personal or your fire service journey. What matters is that you’re finding a way to go to work, to get some reps in whether it's on the job or regarding life in general. Trying to create the habit of getting a “stretch and flow” rep in everyday can have many meanings. A few extra minutes with your kids prior to your tour, making your goodbye kiss last longer than 2 seconds, a run on your morning off, physically reading a chapter in the next best book, enjoying that cup of coffee on the front of the rig, or the front porch at the house. The point is, get a stretch in everyday, and never neglect physically stretching hose. Every single day. Let’s put one foot in front of the other and just see what happens. Not everything has to be planned, not everything is going to be perfect. We, as firefighters, do not need perfection, we need effort-accountability-empathy-responsibility-reward, and we need our crew with us along the way. I’ve been off the job for almost 3 years now, and finding ways to “Keep Fire in My Life” as Ray would put it, has been an interesting part of my journey. I love West Broad for the opportunity to get back around firefighters more often. West Broad is part of my daily “Stretch and Flow,” keeping me grounded in what’s going on on the job, and the continuing challenges and successes firefighters are having and will always have. So let’s get to it…let’s get our mental and physical “Stretch and Flow” vibes going. Don’t forget to have fun out there, challenge each other, celebrate each other. Give it Hell today, cause there’s no other way.
Always Forward
jcraw