Annette Zapp, Lieutenant Firefighter in Chicago, talks to the Former NSCA Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Scott Caulfield, about strength and conditioning in the firefighting niche. Topics under discussion include the perks of being a firefighter who is also a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist® (CSCS®) and Tactical Strength and Conditioning Facilitator® (TSAC-F®), the typical lifestyles and attitudes of firefighters in general, and common issues that they face both physically and mentally. Find Annette on Twitter: @FireSQFitness or Instagram: @FireSQFitness

This article is part of a continuing series on practical, evidence-based approaches to reducing the risk of injury while developing tactical strength and conditioning.

This article is intended to assist tactical facilitators in the construction of a well-designed tactical return to duty program to help combat against the musculoskeletal injury burden that exists within tactical professions.

Given their ability to discern physiological and technical aspects of a job task, TSAC-Fs may be able to collect some vital information that will assist with the underlying evidence to build the foundation of a physical abilities test.

Collecting data can be trial and error, but by building a solid foundation prior to data collection and putting the appropriate people and procedures in place, the tactical facilitator can minimize errors while optimizing effort, money, and time.

Not all smoothies are made the same, and due to the nature of process (i.e., mixing of ingredients), oftentimes the nutritional information provided may not be exactly reflected

Chronic fatigue, stress, sleep deprivation, unhealthy diets, and pain can be commonplace in most departments. The tactical facilitator should try to keep their action plans simple and achievable to help prevent injuries and optimize performance.

This article is part of a continuing series on practical, evidence-based approaches to reducing the risk of injury while developing tactical strength and conditioning.

This article describes the various strength training processes that can be implemented to build a soldier’s ruck march capacity.

This article describes an innovative approach that was used to implement a long-term athletic development (LTAD) program in a health club, and includes the steps used for implementation.