PEWAUKEE, Wisc. – Houston Texans star J.J. Watt can land a 61-inch box jump, squat 700 pounds and routinely lead the NFL in tackles, but can he make it through firefighter training in the heat?
John Watt, retired firefighter, joined his son to help him take in the challenge on behalf of the Gatorade Beat the Heat educational campaign.
“As a kid when I visited the fire station, I was scared of the truck, scared of the ambulance, cause I only associate them with possibility of my dad getting hurt,” Watt said.
The Texans superstar visited his hometown fire department in Pewaukee on June 20 and tried the physical and technical training firefighters conduct in order to perform their daily duties.
“Ensemble we wear is about 50 to 75 pounds once we have a pack and everything on,” PFD Lt. Marvin Henry said. “Unlike an athlete, we don’t know when the game is and how long it is going to be, so we have to be pre-hydrate and be ready to go.”
Watt explained how much more difficult the extra gear made during the training.
“I don’t think anybody understands what this gear does to intensify a workout,” Watt said.
The Beat the Heat program teaches youth athletes the importance of heat safety and staying hydrated during the hot summer months, which J.J. needed to do plenty of as he pulled water hoses, climbed flights of stairs and put out fires – all in 86-degree weather in full firefighter gear that added to his 6-foot-5 289-pound frame.
“I think it’s cool for me now to finally to get a chance to see and live through the work that he (his father) put in all the time,” Watt said. “I pride myself on being a great athlete, but these drills put me under table real quick.”
He explained how different the consequences are versus playing in the NFL.
“I work my butt off at my job everyday because I love it, but at the end of the day if I screw up, I have a bad play, and theirs is life and death,” Watt said.