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‘We are anti-fragile’: How firefighters can get stronger through challenges

Dr. Derrick Edwards – a firefighter, professor, counselor and chaplain – details psych concepts that impact firefighter work and home life

Today’s episode digs into a variety of psychological concepts that impact firefighter work and home life, all courtesy of Dr. Derrick Edwards, a nearly 20-year fire service veteran who also serves as a professional counselor and a mental health service provider. Dr. Edwards introduces a lot of new terms and concepts, including anti-fragile, psyche ache, urge-surfing, the end-of-days fallacy, and his favorite, the white bear, all to help us better understand ourselves – our emotions, reactions, stress and coping skills. Edwards – aka “Father ’Stache” – also shares how he became a fire service chaplain and why chaplaincy is so similar to counseling.

  • Don’t miss: The two root causes of anger
  • Episode power quote: “There’s more than one way to help someone, and no one way is for everyone.”
  • Hot seat sneak peek: Edwards’ favorite karaoke song

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Previously on the Better Every Shift Podcast
The PPE standards expert explains why all protection comes at a price
The West Metro assistant chief offers insights from firefighter sleep research
The fire service technologist offers insights for capturing the interest of digital natives
Training proved critical when a Castle Rock firefighter fell through the floor at a house fire
Co-writer Patrick Pianezza details the movie magic that transformed a homework assignment into an independent film