ForkandHoseCo

Unfortunately due to the low amount of commitment and response to the event, I have to cancel the BBQ cook-off. I apologize to anyone who may have been looking forward to it but i do not want to hold an event that would be sub-par. Hopefully in the future I can get more teams to commit and we can have a successful cook-off. Thank you for your understanding. Stay safe, eat well AJ

Hey guys, So rather than send a bunch of mailers out I figured it's probably just as easy to email the form. If you will be competing you can either A) Print the form out and mail it to me with the check or Respond to this with the following: -Name/Dept. Name: - # of Team Members: -Main To Be Cooked (i.e. ribs, pulled pork, chicken, etc) and Two Sides: *This will help me get sponsors to donate appropriate food -Team Contact (name, phone, email): *All I ask is you send me a check for $200 made out to Arthur Fusco ( this will either be refunded when you show up or if you are a no show will be donated to the charity) Please print this out and hang in your firehouses if you think others may be interested. Thanks! Stay Safe, Eat Well AJ Fork and Hose Co. HVCBW entry form (3).pdf

This topic is one which I am extremely passionate about. In my own personal experiences, it is tough to implement any changes in the fire service which go "against the grain", such as focusing on our own health/fitness. Why you may ask? A lot if it is because the majority of the time, we make it back to the station. And thank God for that. But at the same time, it is our downfall. Many simply do not understand the possibility for much worse outcomes due to our own health/fitness levels, which we have almost complete control over. When I started working out at the station, I was alone. It is a combination department, so neither my own career guys or any volunteers had any interest in joining in on a workout. I heard and still hear it all the time "Im getting tired just watching" . But I realized I hadn't asked them if they wanted to, so one day I did. And since then the guys on my own crew have pretty much worked out with me every tour, as well as one of the volunteers. But that's not enough!!! I don't always work on the same crew with the same one volunteer showing up. I have brought up the idea of a yearly FUNCTIONAL fitness "test", and not so much a pass/fail test, but one that we can gauge ourselves on. Can you gear up, climb x amount of flights, crawl with weight on your back, drag someone x amount of feet under stressful conditions in the physical state you are in? It was met with resistance from all ends. Why? Because just like in training, we are afraid to admit what we don't know, or in this case what we cannot perform. The fire service is UNFIT, and this is unacceptable. And you know what.....THE PUBLIC HAS NO IDEA! To them everything is fine and dandy, but if only they knew what lies beneath the turnout gear....how maybe that one time they need us to make it up 3 flights, force the door and search for their missing child but we can't....we can't because we are too out of shape. I look at some of the members in my department, career and volunteer, and think to myself sometimes...if they go down, can I get them out? And you know what, more times than not, that answer is no. And that scares the hell out of me. How can we look at each other this way and not do something about it? I started a firehouse cooking blog, with the goal of sharing any and all recipes. This quickly changed to a focus on healthier eating in the firehouse when I started my own personal change in lifestyle. As with nutrition, fitness is also a huge part of the equation. I feel like we all need to start somewhere... Stay safe, eat well

Firehouse barbecue and local craft beer...what more could you ask for?!! Oh wait, and it's for charity too! We have some great prizes lined up for the winning teams too! Email me at forkandhoseco@gmail.com or feel free to call/text me at 914-885-4462 if you are interested or would like more details! Stay safe, eat well! -AJ

Some people have brought it to my attention that they were unable to download the original documents I attached so here it is without having to download. Sorry for the repetitive posts. I look forward to hearing from some of you! WHO WE ARE HUDSON VALLEY CRAFT BEER WEEK (HVCBW)- A collaborative venture to promote the thriving local craft beer culture in the Hudson Valley and bring attention to what Hudson Valley craft brewers, restaurants and retailers are doing all year long. FORK AND HOSE CO.- A firehouse cooking blog started by local firefighter A.J. Fusco. Fork and Hose Co. shares meals and recipes from firehouses all over the world, while putting an emphasis on healthier eating in the fire service. A.J. also has a passion for craft beer and has worked at the Craftsman Ale House until recently. OVERVIEW A joint effort between Hudson Valley Craft Beer Week and Fork and Hose Co. The event will be a BBQ style competition between local fire departments with Hudson Valley craft breweries pouring their beer. One of the requirements for the BBQ teams will be to use Hudson Valley craft beer in their BBQ (i.e marinade, sauce, side, etc.) There will be a token style “people’s choice” award and guest judges for 1st place. We have some great prizes lined up but I can’t give any details out just as of yet. Our goal is to have zero dollars out of pocket for the competing teams. We hope to accomplish this through various sponsorships and donations from food suppliers, supermarkets, etc. Firehouse Kitchen TV Show will be filming at the event. There will be a $200 deposit required upon registration to secure a spot in the BBQ competition. This will be refunded on the day of the event if the team shows up and competes. All proceeds raised through ticket sales, etc. will go to The Stephen Siller Tunnel To Towers Foundation to help them with their mission of honoring military and first responder families. DETAILS DATE/TIME: August 14, 2016/Time TBD LOCATION: Veterans Memorial Park - 182 Crystal St. Harrison, NY 10528 FOOD REQUIREMENTS: 1 Main (i.e. ribs, brisket, pulled pork, sausage, etc.) with 2 Sides (i.e mac n’ cheese, corn, beans, etc.) with the use of Hudson Valley craft beer. We would like all smoked food to be prepared on site. However, we understand this may not be possible so we are open to food being prepared offsite and brought to/finished at the event. Please let us know what your intentions are. We are still in the planning phase in regards to how many tickets will be sold, but for right now we are using 100 tickets as the baseline. Two prizes for the winning team that we are working out will be the following: Brew a beer with Captain Lawrence for next year’s Hudson Valley Craft Beer Week The team films an episode with Ray Cooney of Firehouse Kitchen TV F.D. BBQ TEAMS (TBD): HVCBW BREWERIES: (Potential Participants) CAPTAIN LAWRENCE BREWING CO. - Elmsford NEWBURGH BREWING CO. - Newburgh BROKEN BOW BREWERY - Tuckahoe YONKERS BREWING CO. - Yonkers KEEGAN ALES - Kingston SLOOP BREWING - Elizaville DEFIANT BREWING - Pearl River PEEKSKILL BREWERY - Peekskill NORTH RIVER HOPS AND BREWING - Wappingers Falls THE BREWERY AT BACCHUS - New Paltz RUSHING DUCK BREWERY - Chester GOALS Provide a fun, exciting and delicious atmosphere for our guests and friends. Bridge the gap between cooking and beer through the use of Hudson Valley craft beer and firehouse cooking. Let’s show everyone we can cook more than just chili! Raise money for a charity that does a great job supporting local military and first responders, such as Sgt. Lemm from West Harrison. If you are interested in competing and think you can cook enough food for 100 people please let me know by emailing me at forkandhoseco@gmail.com or call/text me (914) 885-4462. If you know of anyone who may be interested as well, please forward this info to them. I will send out a formal Team Registration email in the near future. Thank you in advance, A.J. Fusco Founder/Fork and Hose Co. www.forkandhoseco.com

And just in case great craft beer and BBQ wasn't enough of an incentive, the following are just a couple of the prizes that will be going to the winning team: -The team will get to brew a beer with Captain Lawrence Brewing for next year's Hudson Valley Craft Beer Week -The team will film an episode of Firehouse Kitchen TV with Ray Cooney If you or someone you know is interested, email me forkandhoseco@gmail.com and please spread the word. Stay safe, eat well, AJ

Here is a PDF version if anyone has trouble with the Google Doc HVCBWFDBBQ.pdf

This August, Fork and Hose Co. along with Hudson Valley Craft Beer Week ,will be hosting a Fire Department BBQ Cook-Off with local Hudson Valley craft brewers to benefit the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation. The event is still in the early stages of planning, right now our goal is to secure FD teams to compete. If you love good beer and BBQ, all while raising money for a great cause, this will surely be an event not to miss. I have attached a document which outlines our goals and details for the event. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask. If you are interested or know someone who may be, email me at forkandhoseco@gmail.com . I look forward to hearing from you guys! Stay safe, eat well, A.J. Fusco Fork and Hose Co. Find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @forkandhoseco HVCBW FD BBQ.gdoc

I think what Flashpoint said contains the keyword, MOTIVATION. There is a fine line it seems between giving guys motivation and "forcing" them to do something. I know from personal experience when something becomes mandated there is a lot of resistance to it just because someone says you have to do it. If a program is introduced in the right way, showing the MANY positives to staying fit, I think there is a better chance for success. And like it has been brought up before, we owe it not just to ourselves but our families as well. Does anyone try and cook healthier meals in the firehouse? Through social media I have seen the change in the way many firefighters are cooking, and it is most often for the better.

You hit the nail on the head, i really comes down to personal accountability. I have seen departments who have worked together with local gyms in order to provide incentives for guys to do just that, workout on off time. I think a lot of what you hear regarding that is "I have no time because of my B job, I have not time because of family priorities, etc. " so if it is possible to take 30 minutes while on shift to get a little workout in I dont see an issue. There are many "crossfit" workouts that require as little as 12 minutes. 555 Fitness provides daily workouts for free that are geared towards functional fitness. With their Instagram WODs (Workout Of the Day), everyday is a new routine that requires little to no equipment and usually are under 18 minutes in duration. I have personally seen the disinterest in guys wanting to stay in shape and I have heard all the excuses. Just like on the fireground, teamwork is important and in the gym it can really bring guys together. There are quite a few departments I have become friendly with who exhibit that, if you get a chance check out these guys on Facebook to see what they are about - Villas Fit Firehouse and East Carolina Firefighter Fit Thanks FirNaTine for joining in the conversation, communication is key when it comes to solving an epidemic like this

It is something that needs to be addressed within individual departments of course. But with that being said, someone who is out of shape and can not perform their duties as a firefighter is a much bigger liability I would think. Many tasks on the fireground require certain degrees of physical strength and cardiovascular endurance. Im not saying everyone needs to be a bodybuilder or marathon runner, but there are many FUNCTIONAL workout "styles" that translate very well to firefighting. There are a variety of avenues that can be taken to help lower that risk of injury, one being the IAFF's PFT (Peer Fitness Training) program. If that is not an option, maybe consulting a personal trainer to set up health/fitness evaluations and programs for your department? I feel as if this topic gets pushed aside whether it be for financial reasons, participation issues, laziness or just the failure to recognize there is a problem. I started this post to try and find out what everyone is doing and maybe get some constructive criticism. It's very hard to change things on our own and by helping each other, just maybe we can start to see some change.

Fork and Hose Co. strives to provide inspiration for firefighters in the kitchen. We try to feature as many healthy meals as possible because as we all know, the biggest killer in the fire service is cardiac related incidents. We recently filmed a couple episodes of Firehouse Kitchen with my good friends at 555 Fitness, in which we featured health-conscious recipes as well as workouts that require only equipment commonly found in firehouses such as apartment-packs, foam pails, hose and a stokes basket. I am curious to know if any departments in the area implement any fitness and health programs. If so could you explain the details and if not has anyone ever tried to and failed? The statistics do not lie and the fire service is ridden with mindset "it's not going to happen to me", which is something to be concerned about because WE are the only ones who can change that. You must think not only about yourselves but your brothers and sisters backing you up and your family. Stay safe! AJ Fork and Hose Co. Founder Find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @forkandhoseco !

Hello everyone in EMTBravo world, My name is AJ Fusco and I started Fork and Hose Co. a few years back, based solely on a blogging platform featuring my own firehouse recipes. While it was great sharing what I was cooking, I felt that F&H Co. should feature not only what I was cooking but also what other great firehouse chefs were as well. Thus, we went on a little "hiatus" to regroup. Then Instagram came along and I saw an opportunity to reach a much broader audience. In addition I "redesigned" our philosophy. F&H Co. is less recipe driven now and more about inspiring eachother in the kitchen. Through just the posting of photos, I have recieved so much positive feedback from fellow firefighters who now cook more diverse and healthy food. Which leads me to the next topic, health and fitness. We all know firefighter obesity and heart health is directly correlated with MANY firefighter LODD's. Through Instagram and Facebook I have teamed up with a fantastic company called 555 Fitness. Their sole purpose is to reduce LODD's through programs providing fitness equipment to fire departments. Every Monday they feature one of our healthy meals and the recipe, and in return on Fridays we share one of their workouts which consist of excersises that require little to no equipment. If you are a firehouse chef or just someone who loves to cook, check us out on Instagram @forkandhoseco and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Fork-and-Hose-Co/191745187509680 If you post a picture of your meal dont forget to tag us @forkandhoseco on Instagram or share your photo on our Facebook page! Thanks everyone ! AJ Fusco Fork and Hose Co.