By FireRescue1 Staff
TULSA, Okla. — FireRescue1’s Editor-in-Chief Rick Markley was featured on a FIT First Responders podcast to discuss how firefighters can stay motivated and inspired on- and off-duty.
“You have to be willing to fail, no matter what you’re doing,” Markley told FFR Coach Jonathan Conneely. “We don’t learn from our successes, we learn from our failures.”
Markley shared his path to becoming a firefighter, pursuing his professional career as a journalist and involvement with the International Fire Relief Mission, a nonprofit that collects donated firefighting equipment for firefighters in developing countries. He also discusses the importance of staying driven despite obstacles.
One of the largest issues in the fire service, Markley said, is firefighter suicide.
“You have to recognize what the big issues facing the fire service are and how can you help; so publicizing these things, these firefighter suicides, the impacts that it has on the firefighting community, on their families,” Markley said.
FIT First Responders’ podcast focuses on interviews with individuals who serve as inspiration and motivation for first responders. They aim to offer tools for responders to be fit for duty and life.
Listen to the full podcast below.