Survivor

On the recommendation of a friend, I read Lawrence Gonzales' book Deep Survival: Who lives, who dies, and why*. The book chronicles multiple stories of survival and their intersection with science to help explain why a person may or may not make it through  their own life-threatening challenges. What becomes evident in studying stories of survival is that there are commonalities among those who are able to overcome their dire circumstances. Lawrence states that among the key common attributes of the survivor are: the ability to turn fear into focus, the ability to think, analyze and act, a willingness to do whatever it takes to live, and having "never give up" attitude.

As firefighters, we are often placed in the midst of dangerous settings. There is no assurance that each one of us will being going home at the end of the shift despite efforts to mitigate the hazards. Far too many factors lie outside of our realm of control. Our training, experience, and efforts can influence the factors within our control, however. It is the job of the fire service to help foster attributes of a survivor within each member our departments.

Eddie Would Go

On the Hawaiian island of Oahu, thousands of people are gathering to watch what is considered to be the most prestigious surfing event in the world. The Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational matches some of the top surfers on the planet with swells towering higher than many of our houses. In fact, the event does not even take place if the waves do not exceed heights of twenty feet. It is for this reason that the event has only been held nine times in last 31 years. Organizers refuse to sacrifice the purity of this competition for the sake of simply making it an annual spectacle. It is in this light that they choose to honor the event's namesake, Eddie Aikau.

Eddie Aikau

Eddie was the first official lifeguard at Waimea Bay on Oahu's north shore, where the event is held. During the late 1960s and into the 1970s, he solidified himself as one of the foremost big wave surfers in world. It was, however, his work as a lifeguard that made him legendary. There was not a single death on the bay while he was on duty during his ten years of service. He and his brother, Clyde, are credited with over 500 saves. This was all done without jet ski or boat. They simply paddled out into the swells on their surf boards. While conditions were by no means ideal for many of these saves, Eddie would paddle out anyway. To this day, the local mantra is still "Eddie Would Go."