Frank Leeb and Dena Ali (The First Responder Center for Excellence) - Episode 1044

Behind The Shield

James Geering

Health & Fitness, Mental Health, Fitness

4.9 • 667 Ratings

🗓️ 11 February 2025

⏱️ 126 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Deputy Assistant Chief Frank Leeb has served the FDNY since 1992. The Chief of Safety for the FDNY’s 17,000 employees. Frank holds a bachelor’s degree in fire service administration from SUNY Empire State and a master’s degree in security studies from the Naval Postgraduate School, Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS). He has served as an advisory panel member for UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute’s (FSRI) “Study of Coordinated Attack in Acquired Structures” and chair of the FRCE cancer advisory committee. Frank is also a principal on the NFPA Technical Committees 420, 1585, and 1710 and was the keynote speaker for Firehouse Expo in 2022 a presenter at the U.S. Fire Administrator’s Summit on Fire Prevention and Control in 2022 and 2023. He is the author of the best-selling book “Cornerstones of Leadership - On and Off the Fireground.

DENA ALI is a Battalion Chief with the Raleigh (NC) Fire Department where she has worked her way up the ranks. She previously served as a police officer for five years. Ali has a degree from North Carolina State University and an MPA from the University of North Carolina—Pembroke, where her research focused on firefighter suicide. As a graduate student, she was awarded the 2018 MPA student of the year. She has also received several awards throughout her career. One that she is most proud of is the NC Office of State Fire Marshal Honor, Courage, and Valor award that she earned for her steadfast effort to bring awareness to firefighter mental health through her vulnerability. Dena has also served as a subject matter expert at the National Fire Academy where she assisted in curriculum review for their health and wellness curriculum. Dena is the founder and director of North Carolina Peer Support where she helped to develop their statewide curriculum. She is also the author of the soon to be released book "Hope out of Darkness a Guide to First Responder Mental Wellness" which will be published by Fire Engineering.

https://firstrespondercenter.org/

Transcript

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0:00.0	I'm extremely excited to announce a brand new sponsor for the Behind the Shield podcast,
0:04.2	that is Transcend. Now, for many of you listening, you are probably working the same brutal shifts
0:10.1	that I did for 14 years, suffering from sleep deprivation, body composition challenges, mental
0:16.3	health challenges, libido, hair loss, etc. Now when it comes to the world of hormone replacement and
0:22.5	peptide therapy, what I have seen is a shift from doctors telling us that we were within normal
0:27.0	limits, which was definitely incorrect all the way to the other way now where men's clinics
0:31.8	are popping up left, right and center. So I myself wanted to find a reputable company that would do an analysis of my physiology
0:39.7	and then offer supplementations without ramming, for example, hormone replacement therapy down my
0:45.5	throat. Now I came across Transcend because they have an altruistic arm and they were a big reason why
0:51.0	the 7X project I was a part of was able to proceed because of their
0:55.1	generous donations. They also have the transcend foundations where they're actually putting
1:00.0	military and first responders through some of their therapies at no cost to the individual.
1:05.2	So my own personal journey so far, filled in the online form, went to Quest, got blood drawn, and a few days later
1:12.5	I'm talking to one of their wellness professionals as they guide me through my results
1:16.2	and the supplementation that they suggest. In my case specifically, because I transitioned
1:21.6	out the fire service five years ago and been very diligent with my health, my testosterone
1:26.8	was actually in a good place. So I went down
1:29.4	the peptide root and some other supplements to try and maximize my physiology, knowing full well
1:34.4	the damage that 14 years of shift work has done. Now, I also want to underline because I think this is
1:39.4	very important that each of the therapies they offer, they will talk about the pros and cons.
1:45.0	So, for example, a lot of first responders in shift work are testosterone will be low,
1:49.4	but sometimes nutrition, exercise and sleep can offset that on its own.
	...

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