Train like an athlete
A Sun Journal piece reported that Lewiston firefighters are adopting a ‘train like athletes’ approach, focusing on movement quality, repeated output and fatigue resistance rather than bodybuilder-style training. The article highlighted job-specific conditioning elements — like stair work, loaded carries and grip endurance — that mirror common fireground demands. (sunjournal.com)
Lewiston firefighters are training more like athletes than bodybuilders, with drills built around the way fire calls actually unfold. (sunjournal.com) The Sun Journal reported on April 13 that Assistant Chief Mark Anderson maps out weekly training with different locations, scenarios and equipment for the Lewiston Fire Department. The department uses certified trainers, including Anderson and Lt. Troy Cailler, to run both hands-on and classroom sessions. (sunjournal.com) One recent session on April 1 behind the Engine 4 substation at 55 North Temple St. showed firefighters how to stabilize a vehicle on its side with a Rescue 42 strut system. Cailler said the point is knowing when to use a tool and how to apply it in the field. (sunjournal.com) That approach matches the job better than mirror-muscle workouts. Firefighters climb stairs, carry heavy gear, force doors, drag hose and keep working after the first burst of effort, so training now centers on movement quality, repeated output and fatigue resistance. (sunjournal.com) The shift also reflects how the work has changed. The Lewiston department says modern firefighting now includes constant training, equipment upkeep and coordination around newer tools and tactics, not long stretches of idle station time between alarms. (sunjournal.com; lewistonmaine.gov) The article tied that preparation to a real call on April 6, when Lewiston crews responded to a three-story apartment fire at 198 College St. after 911 callers reported flames from the top floor. Firefighters first cleared occupants from the building, then moved through assigned roles that had been rehearsed in training. (sunjournal.com) Lewiston’s department operates four stations across the city, and the city says those stations are positioned to provide coverage for people who live, work or travel there. A system like that depends on crews who can perform the same physical tasks on demand, across shifts and across call types. (lewistonmaine.gov; lewistonmaine.gov) The department has also been training on equipment bought with a grant from the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation, according to the Sun Journal. That adds another layer to the “train like an athlete” model: new tools only help if firefighters can deploy them quickly, correctly and under stress. (sunjournal.com) On a fireground, the test is not a single lift or sprint. It is whether a crew can keep making good decisions and doing hard physical work after the stairs, the smoke, the heat and the first few minutes have already taken something out of them. (sunjournal.com)
