Episode 9 with Alex Griff (Owner of MABAS 24 CPAT and Firefighter out of Chicago)

1. Tell me a little about yourself? How long have you been a
firefighter for? I have been a firefighter for 14 years. I am in a
fulltime career department just outside Chicago. We are staffed
with 18 firefighter/paramedics, and we run approx. 3000 calls per
year. I am 32 years of age, married for five years with no kids. I
work two side jobs, one being a fire instructor for a local fire
academy and I run a candidate fitness testing center.   2.
What was the hardest time of your life? What tools did you use to
get through it?   I would say the FD testing process. I took
many tests and was not successful for a while. I kept my confidence
up and used grit and determination to finally land myself a
fulltime job. Which is not always easy to come by.   3. What
are your greatest successes?   Getting a full-time fire
department job for a department, I always wanted to work for.
Becoming a fire service instructor and helping firefighters in the
world of health and wellness.   4. Now that you have
experienced life a little, what would you tell your 20-year-old
self?   Slow down every once and a while. Enjoy the little
things and don't sweat the small stuff.   5. Who is your
greatest role model and why?   First, that comes to mind is
Josh Bridges. his will and drive to be the best and better every
day really inspires me. We have some of the same characteristics,
so I relate well to him.   6. If you had a chance for a
"do-over" in life, what would you do differently? Or would you keep
everything the same?   Start CrossFit at an earlier stage in
my life. Other than that I have no regrets.   7. What do you
feel most proud of?   Some of my accomplishments in the fire
service for being on the younger side. Running the cpat testing
center, being a fire service instructor. The impact I have on the
health and wellness of firefighters and people in general.  
8. What do you want your tombstone to say?   "He lived life to
the fullest and never looked back" "be ready for anything" "baby we
were born to run"   9. Why did you join the fire service?
  The thrills and the brotherhood. You get to experience. We
get to do things no one else will ever get a chance to do. I love
high-stress situations along with the adrenaline rush!   10.
How do you spend your free time?   Traveling with my wife,
working out, cooking new foods, listening to music and collecting
things from the 50s and 60s for my rock n roll diner.   11.
Who do you admire the most in life and why?   My wife, Laura.
She is the best in the world, and we have so many things in common.
She has worked extremely hard in her profession and with her
education. She rose to a high-level position in a huge company.
  12. What are you most afraid of?   Not being able to
perform at a high level.   13. What was your most embarrassing
moment?   I need to think about this one; there might be
many... hahaha   14. If you could eliminate one weakness or
limitation in your life what would it be and why?   The
pressure I put on myself and sometimes getting down on myself.
Sometimes this can hold me back from progressing forward.  
15. What was your greatest failure and how did you overcome it?
  Failing my paramedic test the first time I took it. I
thought it would hold me back from getting the job I had always
wanted. I hit the books got down to business and passed the test.
Kept my head in the game and stayed confident.   16. What
motivates you to succeed? I want to better every day both mentally
and physically. I want to be the hardest worker in the room and I
want to be able to handle anything life will throw at me.