Fit Firefighter

I grew up in Sudbury, Ontario, and like so many young Canucks, I loved to play hockey. I got my first taste of competition on the ice. I quickly learned what it means to be a member of a team, the importance of working together toward a common goal. During the transition into my teens, I encountered health problems that forced me to put diet and exercise at the forefront of my daily activities. This new focus made me truly realize that lifestyle and personal choices have a vital impact on wellbeing. A personal victory, this revelation set the stage for a lifelong passion for, and dedication to, health and fitness.

Firefighting is engrained in my genes. I dreamed of following in the footsteps of my grandfather and my father, both volunteer firefighters. The teamwork, the camaraderie, the ‘hands-on’ work physicality and the excitement that defined the profession drew me like a magnet. Out of high school, I enrolled in the firefighting program at Cambrian College. I supplemented my studies by becoming a volunteer firefighter and worked as a bush firefighter. I completed many additional courses to gain in an effort to move my application for structural firefighting to the top of the list.
The application process took roughly a year, during which I trained in the gym five days a week. The training was intense and incorporated functional movements to replicate the demands and exercises of the required physical fitness test. I applied to fire departments in eleven cities, and half granted me interviews. Despite the odds, competing against thousands of applicants in the province, I received three job offers. I started my career in Brampton, Ontario, where I worked for three years. I took a job with the Sudbury Fire Department and moved home in 2007, to be closer to my friends and. Eight years later, I am still going strong.

I am fortunate to have a job about which I am passionate. I love the fellowship and the adrenaline of this profession—and the fact that no two days are the same. Firefighting also provides a springboard for community involvement and the opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives, on and off the job.

Fitness and my job go hand-in-hand. I am forced to stay accountable for the sake of my profession. Firefighting has provided me with ongoing learning opportunities and opened countless doors that might otherwise remain locked.

I became involved in the Firefighter Combat Challenge while working as a recruit in Brampton. Peter Reid, the World Combat Challenge Champion at the time, had our class run through the course. I scored the top time in my class and was asked by Peter to join the Combat team. He took on the role of coach and mentor. Immediately I realized that the training was different than typical bodybuilding or ‘cookie-cutter’ gym routine. I had a lot to learn. From that point on, I was hooked; bound and determined to make this my sport.
Some of my most notable accomplishments include:

- Individual Combat Challenge World Champion
2010
- Combat Challenge Tandem World Record
Holder and World Champion
- Combat Challenge Co-ed Tandem Holder and
Three-Time World Champion
- Many wins and top finishes in the Combat
Challenge worldwide 2008–2015
- Awarded Greater Sudbury Fire Services
Career of the Year 2010
- Sudbury Amateur Male Athlete of the Year
2011
- Organizer of the Sudbury Firefighter Calendar
funding the Combat Challenge Team and local
charities

I continue to train in pursuit of my next Combat Challenge competition. More importantly, I train to be the best I can be on the job, to push my own limits. I incorporate sprints, hills, anaerobic training and extensive plyometric work into my routine.
My support network encourages my development as an athlete, for which I will be forever grateful. I combine Olympic lifting with my uncle, Alex Fera, at the Sudbury Weight Lifting Club; I utilize functional training to simulate course conditions with Steve O’Brien at Full Tilt Fitness; I gratefully accept mentoring and coaching from Troy Thomson at T2 Training.

My passion for teaching others was sparked in 2011 in Dubai, while conducting a month-long training camp. I love giving tips and tricks from my own personal experience, which fueled the idea for the site. I love the sport, I love the profession and I love the people. I hope to inspire this same appreciation and admiration for fitness and firefighting in others and www.fitfirefighter.ca is the vehicle I have chosen to utilize my current knowledge and experience to expedite the process.


FitFirefighter.ca is backed up by 11 years of expertise and knowledge in the firefighter profession and firefighter combat challenge. This website is a one of kind personal fitness coaching website to help firefighters, combat challenge competitors, firefighting applicants and “weekend warriors” excel when duty calls…….


Three programs will be offered:

Train like a firefighter program

Offered to existing firefighters or “weekend warriors” looking to take their fitness goals to the next level. Must have moderate fitness and gym experience.


Firefighter Combat Challenge Program

Offered to new and existing firefighter combat challenge competitors who are looking for the extra edge on the competition or to improve their personal best.


Firefighting Fitness Test Applicants

Offered to new firefighting applicants looking to pass the fitness test. This program is specifically geared to increase the chances of being a successful candidate and will be precisely tailored to the functional movements of the physical test.