Health & Wellness
FireRescue1’s Health and Wellness resource center provides practical, evidence-informed guidance to support physical fitness, mental health and long-term career resilience. Coverage includes injury prevention, nutrition, sleep, stress management, cancer awareness and behavioral health to help fire service professionals remain healthy, capable and mission-ready on and off duty.
The risk management expert delivers commonsense wisdom, including three actions he would take if he were in charge
FITNESS IN FOCUS
Firefighters in South Carolina’s Lowcountry are pushing for better mental health support, saying financial strain, sleep loss and job stress continue to take a heavy toll
Danbury Fire Department’s new progressive alerting system gradually increases alarm volume and uses voice announcements, part of a growing effort to reduce firefighter stress
The National Volunteer Fire Council is looking for volunteer firefighters to share personal stories for a new mental health video series aimed at raising awareness and encouraging wellness support
Chronic inflammation is driven by sleep disruption, poor nutrition, limited exercise and unresolved trauma
The bill would shield registered fire and rescue employees from employer penalties for legal, off-duty medical cannabis use, while opponents warn the lack of an impairment test could create public safety risks
The shift from the 12 MET benchmark to age- and sex-adjusted percentiles is reshaping how departments define fitness, risk and readiness
Wellness screenings and fitness programs act as risk management tools for firefighter health
Scrolling can’t save you — but a conversation might
Make recovery your secret weapon for peak performance
In Sterling Heights, new weekday EMT units and a color-coded dispatch system are easing paramedic burnout and targeting rising EMS calls
COMPLETE COVERAGE
Captain Marc Wysocki: It’s time to treat mental health like any other readiness standard
Leaders set the tone for agency culture across the board — including when it comes to wellness
Achieve peak performance through foam-rolling, active warm-ups, deadlifts, functional dumbbell exercises, and high-intensity interval training
From family outreach to increased counseling access and more understanding from supervisors, firefighters are looking to leadership to step up in this area
Try one (or all) of these ideas and make movement a priority — together!
The Jacksonville Fire Rescue Department will now have a permanent location to provide annual physicals, cardiac stress tests and cancer-related screenings
The Behind the Shield podcaster outlines the simple formula that makes a fourth shift work
Wichita Station 15 will stay closed for at least two more weeks, and city officials say stations 11, 3 and 13 could also be taken out of service
First Responder Wellness Week 2026 focuses on total wellness for true readiness
Tucson Station 14 features individualized alerting, on-site decontamination and upgraded living and fitness space
MOST POPULAR
- National Firefighter Registry for Cancer goes offline following NIOSH layoffs
- Texas FD makes history in move to 24/72 shift schedule
- S.C. fire department tests ‘1323' shift to improve work-life balance
- Florida legislation recommends FDs limit standard firefighter shifts to 42 hours per week
- Mass. FD’s ‘PFAS-free’ gear fails lab test, shows high toxic levels