I plan to add in wearing my firefighter turnout gear at least once a month to one of the WODs. I know this will ultimately result in the desired outcome, work capacity with the additional variable of my gear. As a firefighter your gear is meant to protect you and allow you to do your job in unsurvivable conditions. If your gear restricts you, makes you panic, and wears you down then you are not fit for the job. Adding in a once a month rule to put the gear on and suffer through a WOD ensures I stay on top of building that work capacity. These WODs alone without gear help toward that work capacity I need, but that fear exposure ensures I can regulate my breathing and emotions as I focus on completing the WOD or in real life the task at hand.

If I were on the other side of this and my home was burning and my child or loved one was stuck inside I would feel far more confident in the firefighters if I knew they trained in this way and regularly exposed themselves to discomfort in their gear. Of course job knowledge and skill are equally as important, but the ability to perform and stay oriented is crucial.