Episode 209: Episode 7-10 – District Chief Vernon Hiller – “Firefighting & Beyond”

Challenges…this job has plenty of them! To be a firefighter, there are certain attributes necessary, e.g., good physical condition, willingness to learn, practice tasks, dedication to the task, being aware of what you are getting yourself into, etc. Perhaps this last example is the most important. For while we understand that we will see things that we would not want most others to see, sometimes, those incidents are what trouble us, as well. And some of those can be troubling to us; not just when they occur, but days, weeks, even years later. 

Our guest, District Chief Vernon Hiller of the Toronto Canada Fire Department. With thirty-five years of experience, Chief Hiller has seen it all. And while he has many fire service stories to tell, we discussed what is “beyond” the job of being a firefighter. We discuss the psychological side of the work we do and what the results can be. We are seeing increased occurrences of depression and PTSD troubling our brothers and sisters. 

The Chief discusses the challenges he faced in school at an early age and his strong efforts to overcome those challenges. More importantly, he made strong efforts to overcome those issues and those efforts buoyed him through his fire service career, where he is now a District Chief. 

We can let our challenges overwhelm us or we can be stronger than they are and deal with them, while still getting on with a full and productive life. 

As always, you can catch the video version on our YouTube® channel, 5-Alarm Task Force Corp., on our Podomatic page at https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/dalmatprod206  or tune in to the audio version on your favorite podcast platform!