Plenty of people who fish would echo Chicago Fire Department (CFD) Firefighter/Paramedic Jason Paszkowski’s view that fishing serves as a wonderful mechanism for decompressing, which aids him upon return to the firehouse. However, Paszkowski, who competes in kayak bass tournaments, finds other elements of fishing equally useful when it comes to helping him at the station and on the fireground.
“When I’m out on the water and it’s just me, the kayak and the water, it gives me a calm, relaxing feeling. It revitalizes. It’s good for the mind and body. It’s good for the soul,” he explains.
In the same breath, he points out that the organization, preparation and physical attributes of his approach to angling drift into what he does as a member of CFD’s Engine 95.
Method
The organization that’s required for him for a tournament feeds into his preparation. Whether it’s watching his surroundings, remembering the many small steps that are involved in putting himself in the best position to succeed or the tactics that he’ll apply, Paszkowski deems his penchant for organization “huge.”
As to how being organized translates to the fireground: “We are put into positions that are very chaotic and can take a turn in a matter of a second,” he tells Firehouse Magazine. “That’s where the organization comes in. Knowing how to handle that chaos. Staying calm. Relying on your training.”
As for preparation for a tournament, Paszkowski doesn’t hesitate to use the words “preplan” and “size up.” Tournament competitors typically arrive on scene three to five days before the contest kicks off. Because no time can be wasted once the horn sounds to start a day’s competition, Paszkowski rarely takes his kayak out of the water to head to a different part of a lake. He enters the water based on the plan that he created from those days of fishing before the tournament began when he studied the lake and its contours, tried spots to determine which were promising and which weren’t, and identified what lures the fish hit on and what were their patterns.
“If you put the pieces of the puzzle together, you’re in pretty good shape to have success during the tournament,” Paszkowski says.
Strength and balance
Kayaks that are used for bass fishing range in size from 10–14 feet long. They are about four feet wide. Standing and moving from bow to stern is completely manageable and a matter of routine. A presumption that one’s strength to facilitate this regular upright position would be in the legs might be reasonable, but Paszkowski attributes his easy movement to his core.
“It’s almost like yoga,” he says. “If I’m coming from a seated position to stand up, I’m using my legs to push through that, but I’m keeping my core tight, so I am not in a position where I am locking out the back.”
It is movement that Paszkowski is confident that translates directly to the fireground for him. “If you’re lifting something, you’re going to push through with your legs, but you’re going to keep your core tight.”
New opportunities
Paszkowski has been with CFD for four years. Before his assignment on Engine 95, which serves the west side of Chicago, he served for three years on Truck 40 on the south side of the city. He began his firefighting career in 2010 with the Lyons, IL, Fire Department, and he remains on part-time on-call with the department, including serving as one of its training officers.
To join CFD, he had to go through the academy a second time, given the fact that the department does many things differently than how other departments in Illinois operate.
“I was hired as a civilian,” he explains, although, during the academy, he certainly built on what he already knew.
Engine 95’s station averages about 20 calls per shift. Runs in excess of 600 per month aren’t unusal. He says the percentage of fire to EMS calls is typical of the percentage for the fire service as a whole, but because of the volume of calls, the number of fires that he battles is large. “Fires are rather common in our area,” he says.
Paszkowski was entered in an October 2020 tournament on Lake Guntersville in Alabama, but he wasn’t able to participate because of the travel restrictions that were imposed by the city of Chicago. That was disappointing for the firefighter/paramedic, but things worked out in the end. Paszkowski is affiliated with the Paddle N’ Fin podcast network. This includes time in which he serves as the host of the “Off the Water” podcast. The network recently launched plans to organize and run its own tournament series. “I will have my hands in it as a tournament director,” Paszkowski tells us.
It would seem that serving as a tournament director will be good for his mind, body and soul, too.
Rich Dzierwa | Managing Editor, Firehouse Magazine
Rich Dzierwa joined Firehouse Magazine in 2019 after four tenures with other publications. He was editor-in-chief of Consumers Digest/ConsumersDigest.com and of trade magazine Cutting Tool Engineering. He served as the consumer products reporter for BridgeNews and began his publishing career with an 11-year tenure at Appliance magazine, where he rose to managing editor after serving in other roles. Dzierwa's experience with consumer products, including furnishings, appliances, electronics and space design, has transferred to his Firehouse work regarding the magazine's Station Design columns and the Station Design Awards. Previous work also has contributed to his supervision of several surveys of fire service/EMS members, to produce unique reporting for Firehouse's audience. Dzierwa earned a bachelor's degree in English from Columbia College Chicago.
