McCoy knows knowledge helps further wellness

Austin fire chief prioritizes firefighter health with MnFIRE training

Firefighters are in an others-first career, often focusing on people who need help before tending to their own needs. As a fire chief, Jim McCoy knows it’s part of his job to give the members of his Austin Fire Department resources to make their health a priority. It’s why McCoy had his department complete MnFIRE training.

“This is one thing we can do for us,” said McCoy, who has been in the fire service nearly 24 years. “Our other firefighter training focuses on helping others, but we need (MnFIRE training) to make sure we are healthy, too.”

From these trainings, McCoy and his department became MnFIRE aware and then dove deep into learning about cancer and cardiac diagnoses along with mental health. The trainings helped them find ways to try to avoid these diagnoses and gave them coping mechanisms for getting through them.

McCoy acknowledged that some cancer can be mitigated by changes such as using more advanced gear, taking showers after calls, washing gear properly and wearing gloves amongst many other tactics. While cardiac issues sometimes depend on an individual’s genetic makeup, McCoy said he can encourage his department to eat healthy and work on physical fitness to help keep them heart healthy. For his own overall health, McCoy and his wife watched MnFIRE’s nutrition training videos online led by Chef Marshall O’Brien. Now the couple continuously works together to cook the nutritious recipes they learned from the training videos.

Mental wellbeing is the one area that needs the most improvement in the fire service, McCoy said.

“Mental health is nothing you can see, and it’s so engrained in us to ‘suck it up,’” McCoy said. “In the past, that term ‘suck it up’ was the norm in the fire service. It was almost as if feelings weren’t allowed.”

McCoy is glad that mentality is changing.

“Now it’s OK to talk about it, have feelings and let people know it’s a struggle,” he said. “Through MnFIRE and other programs, we have routes to deal with mental health – to talk to people and become well again.”

The MnFIRE trainings are part of making that change.

“All the trainings have been wonderful and it’s something that needs to continue,” McCoy said. “The more knowledge we have on prevention the better off we are.”

For more information about MnFIRE Training, visit the training tab on our website.

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What a gift it has been to serve Minnesota firefighters through the Hometown Heroes Assistance Program this year. Enjoy this HHAP year-in-review, and we look forward to continuing this work in 2025! 🎁 ... See MoreSee Less

What a gift it has been to serve Minnesota firefighters through the Hometown Heroes Assistance Program this year. Enjoy this HHAP year-in-review, and we look forward to continuing this work in 2025! 🎁

Want to learn more about locking in healthy behaviors to prevent disease and optimize wellness? Hear from MnFIRE medical expert Dr. Nick Blonien at the 2025 Firefighter Health Forum, where he will discuss sleep insufficiency and cardiovascular disease in the fire service. Register today! www.eventbrite.com/e/2025-firefighter-health-forum-registration-1035146901247?aff=social ... See MoreSee Less

Shoutout to Ideal Township Fire and First Responders for becoming "MnFIRE Aware" through awareness training last month!

The new year is approaching – a perfect time to start thinking about new opportunities for your department. Check out our trainings here: mnfireinitiative.com/training/
... See MoreSee Less

Shoutout to Ideal Township Fire and First Responders for becoming MnFIRE Aware through awareness training last month!

The new year is approaching – a perfect time to start thinking about new opportunities for your department. Check out our trainings here: https://mnfireinitiative.com/training/

We are excited to introduce another 2025 Firefighter Health Forum speaker: Kenny Fent, manager of the National Firefighter Registry for Cancer. On January 25, you can learn more about NFR, an important nationwide program to understand and reduce cancer risks in firefighters. Register for the conference here: www.eventbrite.com/e/2025-firefighter-health-forum-registration-1035146901247?aff=social ... See MoreSee Less

Last month, Bluffton Fire Department completed awareness training and is now "MnFIRE Aware" of their occupational health risks. Your department can too! Explore various training options here: mnfireinitiative.com/training/ ... See MoreSee Less

Last month, Bluffton Fire Department completed awareness training and is now MnFIRE Aware of their occupational health risks. Your department can too! Explore various training options here: https://mnfireinitiative.com/training/
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