Hello Honor & Commitment Reader! We are so glad you have found us here where we can continually add resources on topics in this chapter relevant to the fire life.
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Chapter 5 talks you through ways you can ease the cycle of the home-to-station and station-to-home transition. Long, difficult shifts can result in irritability and exhaustion. Spouse: How can you help your firefighter relax and let go when they get home? Firefighter: How can you keep from taking out the emotional and physical exhaustion you have on your spouse? Find a way that works for both of you and make those rocky transitions smooth.
Choose Your Reaction
Disarming Your Irritable, Sleep-Deprived Firefighter
Each spouse plays a roll in how things go when a firefighter comes home from a shift. A sleepless night full of difficult calls can have an effect on the whole family. What can you do to help your firefighter when they come home in a not-so-perfect mood?
The Perspective of a Firefighter Husband
Now a Word from Firefighter Husband – Act Natural
Why can they be so irritable when they get home? Read Dan’s experience and his advice on how to handle the transition.
Community Discussions
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- Coming soon!
We Recommend…..
- Frank Viscuso, Husband, Father, Author, Speaker, Deptuy Chief. CommonValor.com
- John Salka, FDNY, Husband, Father, Author, Speaker, Retired Chief. Firecommandtraining.com
More Articles From Our Online Resource Library
Another Bad Call
ANOTHER. BAD. CALL. Unfortunately, we don't always know when our firefighters have had a bad call. Sometimes they fly right under the radar, getting hidden in a compartment somewhere they didn’t even know they had. Our husbands are almost constantly exposed to...
Don’t Hoard the Trauma
You don’t have to hoard the trauma - throw it out. Well, maybe it’s not as easy as throwing it out… but we do have the ability to fight trauma head-on as it happens versus storing it away to grow into a bigger problem over time. Listen to this new way to look...
What to Say to Your Firefighter When He’s Had a Bad Call
You can feel the air turn tense before a word is even said. You know it was a bad shift. Something must have happened to make such a drastic change in your firefighter. Maybe he is angry, or silent, or sad....you just know something isn't right. Do you ask about it?...
When a Firefighter is Irritable, Grumpy, and Disengaged When He’s Home
This article is so important because we’ve all been there yet so few admit it and talk about it. There is no shame in relating to this or even sharing this post. You never know who is suffering and needs these words. Let’s just start with these words straight from the...
Top Things to Do When Your Firefighter is on Shift
Our Time Together is Kind of a Big Deal... How do you prioritize your schedules when your firefighter is on shift? Do you have certain things that only happen on a shift day/night so you can make the most of every moment when they get home? On last week's Shift Night...
Going Into Labor While Firefighter is on Shift
Pregnancy is a crazy exciting time as it is. Add in the shift schedule of a firefighter husband and the excitement multiplies....by a lot! Especially around the due date. A million questions will roll through your mind. Do I have my bag packed? Do I have childcare set...
Commitment Weekend – From the Mouth of a Firefighter
If you have not experienced Commitment Weekend (formerly known as FlameFest), or you wonder what it is like, read on! A fellow firefighter wrote about his experience and shared it with us to give you an inside look at what can come from making a weekend commitment to...
Is Alcohol Tearing Your Firefighting Family Apart?
Most of us keep a pretty regular schedule. We go to sleep and wake up at pretty much the same time every day. We have our weekday routine and our weekend routine. Our bodies are keeping track of our routines as well—physically and mentally. So many of our bodily...
How We Track Schedules in a Fire Marriage
From our series "Fire Prevention in Your Marriage", here's a little transcript-style article about shifts, tracking schedules and marriage. October is "Fire Prevention in Your Marriage" month and we talk about schedules and the fire life in your marriage because we...
Stand By Your Man – A Word from a Firefighter Husband
{One of our favorite things EVER is when our husbands, the firefighters, write in to share words. Their words are so powerful to the men around them everyday on the job. And we are so grateful for their courage to speak them out loud. Thank you Dave! And for...