Fit For Duty

At 44, Lee Phillips is in the best shape of his life. The firefighter is stronger, faster and fitter than when he first started saving lives twenty years ago and he has no plans of slowing down.

- Megan Flemmit

Adrenaline courses through Lee Phillips’ veins whenever a distress call comes through to the station. Regardless of what he’s doing, the flood of hormones jolts him into action. “I’ve had calls before when I’ve literally been in the middle of a tough workout,” he laughs. “But when that call comes through, all thoughts of tiredness disappear as the adrenaline kicks in.”

In a matter of seconds, the first responder and his team are geared up and ready to go. While the adrenaline gets him moving, it’s his fitness that enables Lee to perform heroic feats under pressure. It’s helped him rescue victims from burning buildings and pry them loose from wrecked cars.

The firefighter has trained consistently since he first picked up a set of weights in his parents’ garage at age 16. As he’s gotten older, his commitment to fitness hasn’t waned. As he’s moved from regular firefighter to officer-in-charge, he’s seen firsthand the impact being in shape has on his ability to do his job. Here’s the wisdom he’s picked up over the course of his career.

Create An Environment That Works For You

No two days are the same when you’re a firefighter. The unpredictable nature of the job forces firefighters to stay on their toes and in shape. Gyms inside the respective fire stations make it easier for them to do so, but when Lee first arrived at his current fire station four years ago, he realised the station gym wasn’t suited to his needs.