A Podcast for Today's Wild Land Firefighters, produced by the Health and Human Performance Department at the University of Montana, Missoula.
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Season 3, Episode 05: Sack Lunches
Charles Palmer, Brent Ruby, and Wanda King
19th Century American bars would often times offer a “free lunch” as an attempt to entice drinking customers in to their establishments. The catch was that patrons usually had to purchase at least one drink, and often times the foods served were high in salt ... Read More
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Season 3, Episode 04: Drones
Charles Palmer, Carl Seielstad, and Tim Wallace
After the podcast episode “Smart and Smarter” came out during Season 2 of On The Line (with guest Drs. LLoyd Queen and Carl Seielstad) firefighter/scientist Casey Teske provided us with some awesome feedback when she suggested we also talk with the guys about drones. Casey, ... Read More
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Season 3, Episode 03: Running
Charles Palmer, Matthew Bundle, and Charles Dumke
Running. It’s part of the fire culture. Whether it’s to stay in shape, to prepare for the pack test, or just for enjoyment, firefighters run, and far. Yet, how well does running translate to the specific job duties of the wildland firefighter, and what are ... Read More
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Season 3, Episode 02: The Other Half
Charles Palmer, Korey Wolferman, and Tobi Kearns
Relationships are tough enough as it is to maintain successfully. With wildland firefighters, factors like unpredictable work schedules, absences, and communication challenges due to remote work environments can complicate matters even more. And yet, beside many firefighters stand strong, resilient partners who are able to ... Read More
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Season 3, Episode 01: Transitions
Charles Palmer, Mitch Kearns, and Keith "Skid" Wolferman
Transitions can be a challenging time, whether they be when a fire is changing classification type, or when firefighters are moving into retirement. The former transitions are talked about a great deal. The latter, not so much. Recently retired Missoula Smokejumpers Mitch Kearns and Keith ... Read More
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Season 2, Episode 10: CISM
Charles Palmer, Heath Cota, and Asad Rahman
This is it, the tenth and final podcast of Season 2. Critical Incident Stress Management, or CISM, is a process designed for helping those who have experienced traumatic events be able to share their perspectives with others, learn about common stress reactions, express emotions, and ... Read More
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Season 2, Episode 09: Senator Jon Tester
Charles Palmer and Jon Tester
After a somewhat lengthy Season 2 hiatus, “On The Line” is back with a brand new podcast. United States Senator Jon Tester from the state of Montana joins the program from Washington, D. C. to talk about the importance of funding for wildland fire, what ... Read More
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Season 2, Episode 08: Jose's Bag 2.0
Charles Palmer, Charles Dumke, and Luke Alford
The original Jose’s Bag podcast had such stellar and rave reviews (fake news?), that we are back with another installment. In Jose’s Bag 2.0, Luke Alford from the University of Montana’s Health and Human Performance Department steps in for Jose, and he is joined by ... Read More
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Season 2, Episode 07: Smart and Smarter
Charles Palmer, LLoyd Queen, and Carl Seielstad
Prodigious friends Drs. LLoyd Queen and Carl Seielstad from UM’s National Center for Landscape Fire Analysis stumble across a suitcase full of questions posed to them by podcast host Charlie Palmer. The pair, who live dual lives as both fire scientists and fire managers, have ... Read More
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Season 2, Episode 06: Sharkey
Brent Ruby and Brian Sharkey
As a wildland firefighter, if you don’t recognize the name Brian Sharkey, you probably should. The author of twelve books, developer of the pack test and work to rest guidelines, and some of the earliest examinations of woodsmoke exposure around, you name the topic and ... Read More
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Season 2, Episode 05: Nutrition 2.0
Brent Ruby
Eating the proper foods at the appropriate time is an essential component of recovery, especially for tactical athletes like wildland firefighters. Dr. Brent Ruby from the University of Montana’s Center for Work Physiology and Exercise Metabolism re-joins the podcast for a follow up to his ... Read More
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Season 2, Episode 04: Jose's Bag
Charles Dumke and Jose Pena
University of Montana Health and Human Performance Department graduate student Jose Pena joins the podcast to discuss over-the-counter, alleged performance-enhancing products. Jose is a Chilean who came to the U. S. to play collegiate soccer, and has been involved with UM’s wildland firefighter research. While ... Read More
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Season 2, Episode 03: Decision Making & Cognitive Function
Charles Palmer, Charles Dumke, and Michael Williams-Bell
Wildland firefighting represents a high risk occupation, and exposes those who engage in it to a significant amount of danger and uncertainty. Decision making and cognitive function take on added importance as firefighters attempt to manage these risks. Canadian researcher Dr. Michael Williams-Bell from Durham ... Read More
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Season 2, Episode 02: Seasonal Alterations
Brent Ruby and Trey Coker
Never before have wildland firefighters been assessed for physiological changes over the course of an entire fire season. Until now. Dr. Trey Coker from the University of Alaska Fairbanks teamed up with our own Dr. Brent Ruby to investigate seasonal alterations in a group of ... Read More
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Season 2, Episode 01: Pack Test
Brent Ruby, Matthew Bundle, and Charles Palmer
The Work Capacity Test, otherwise known as the pack test, has been in use for nearly 25 years. Designed as a measure of muscular strength and aerobic capacity, the arduous version of the test entails hiking three miles on even terrain while carrying 45 pounds ... Read More
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Season 1, Episode 10: Maclean
Brent Ruby, Charles Palmer, and John Maclean
Maclean. The name is synonymous with many things: great writing, fishing, and fire to name just a few. On this, the tenth and final episode of season one, author John Maclean joins the podcast, along with University of Montana researcher Brent Ruby and host Charlie ... Read More
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Season 1, Episode 09: Suicide
Charles Palmer, Annie Sondag, and John Sommers-Flanagan
About 42,000 Americans take their own lives every year. While no known research has looked specifically at suicide prevalence rates within wildland firefighters, it appears to be a major concern within our population. Studies looking at structural firefighters indicate that they are three times more ... Read More
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Season 1, Episode 08: Forty Something Years of Fire: an Interview with Wayne Williams
Charles Palmer and Brent Ruby
Few people can claim to possess a fire career that spans over four decades. From being a first year firefighter with the California Division of Forestry in the 1970’s, to thirty-four years of smokejumping with the Forest Service, and ending with a final six year ... Read More
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Season 1, Episode 07: Hydration
Charles Dumke and Brent Ruby
Dr. Chuck Dumke and Dr. Brent Ruby from the University of Montana re-join the podcast to discuss this vital component of performance. Hydration plays an important role in firefighter safety, and yet at times its significance has been over-emphasized. “Hydration is not a rescue from ... Read More
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Season 1, Episode 06: Tactical Nutrition
Brent Ruby
Firefighters can expend upwards of 6200 calories per day during rigorous operations. Therefore, what they eat, when they eat, and how much they eat become extremely important factors that must be taken in to consideration by not only the firefighters themselves but also fire managers. ... Read More
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Season 1, Episode 05: Wood Smoke
Charles Dumke and Tony J. Ward
Not only are firefighters exposed to wood smoke as a part of their occupations, but so too are millions of humans across the globe who must contend with this byproduct of combustion in the places they live. In this episode of “On the Line”, University ... Read More
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Season 1, Episode 04: Recovery
Matthew Bundle and Patty O'Brien
In this episode of On the Line, University of Montana biomechanist Matt Bundle and clinical psychology doctoral student Patty O’Brien join the podcast to discuss the concept of recovery and how it relates to wildland firefighters. Some of the science behind recovery is examined, and ... Read More
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Season 1, Episode 03: Injuries in Wildland Firefighters
Charles Palmer and Valerie Moody
Although thousands of wildland firefighters are employed every year, and despite the fact that many of them sustain injuries while on the fireline or preparing themselves for the rigors of the job, very little is known about wildland firefighters and injury from a research perspective. ... Read More
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Season 1, Episode 02: Rhabdo
Charles Palmer, Charles Dumke, and Brent Ruby
According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Rhabdomyolysis, or rhabdo, is “a medical condition associated with heat stress and prolonged physical exertion, resulting in rapid breakdown, rupture, and death of muscle. When muscle tissue dies, electrolytes and large proteins are released into ... Read More
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Season 1, Episode 01: Heat Related Injuries
Charles Palmer, Charles Dumke, and Brent Ruby
In this debut podcast of “On the Line”, moderator Charlie Palmer, along with University of Montana professors Dr. Chuck Dumke and Dr. Brent Ruby discuss heat related illnesses/injuries (HRI’s) for wildland firefighters. HRI’s fall along a continuum of severity, with heat cramps being the mildest ... Read More