Health & Fitness Strategies for Disaster Deployment
Vanessa Frost-Piedrahita
Disaster deployments push responders into long shifts, unusual tasks, and disrupted routines that challenge the body in ways day-to-day operations don’t. This session focuses on practical strategies to adapt fitness and recovery during deployments—emphasizing mobility, task-specific movement prep, sleep considerations, and tactics to manage fatigue. Attendees will leave with actionable tools to reduce injury risk and maintain readiness when operating under extreme and unpredictable conditions.
About Vanessa Frost-Piedrahita
Vanessa Frost-Piedrahita is the Health & Fitness Coordinator for the Pflugerville Fire Department, where she has overseen all aspects of firefighter health, wellness, and performance since 2016. She brings over a decade of coaching experience—including her time as a collegiate strength and conditioning coach—to her work in the fire service, where she focuses on movement quality, injury reduction, and long-term performance using research-backed and realistic strategies.
Vanessa holds a Master’s in Kinesiology and a Bachelor’s in Biological Sciences from Southern Illinois University, and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist with distinction (CSCS*D, RSCC) through the NSCA. She also holds additional credentials in Pregnancy and Postpartum athleticism, USA Weightlifting, Movement & Mobility, Prevision Nutrition, and USAF Resilience.
Through her work at the department and her online platform, Firefighter Strength Coach, Vanessa is committed to helping firefighters do strong work, build strong minds, and live strong lives.
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