On the Better Every Shift podcast, my goal is to help firefighters build better habits, strengthen their leadership skills and take a more intentional approach to the job. Some of the best lessons I’ve learned have come from conversations with guests. Others have come from books that challenged how I think about leadership, fitness, wellness, decision-making and personal growth.
I put this reading list together as a starting point for firefighters who want to keep learning beyond the podcast. Whether you are working on how you lead, how you recover or how you show up for the next shift, these books can help you keep moving in the right direction.
Leadership and operations
- First In, Last Out: Leadership Lessons From the New York Fire Department — John Salka, FDNY battalion chief (ret.)
- Cornerstones of Leadership — Frank Leeb, FDNY deputy assistant chief (ret.)
- Advanced Fire and Emergency Services Administration — Randy Bruegman, fire chief (ret.)
- Might of the Chain: Forging Leaders of Iron Integrity — Mike Studeman, U.S. Navy rear admiral (ret.)
- How to Suck as a Leader: The Top 15 Mistakes Leaders Make — Travis Dalrymple
- Challenge Your Leadership — Corley Moore, battalion chief
- The 9 L’s: Keys to High-Performance Culture — Corley Moore, battalion chief
Memoirs and perspectives
- Burnt: A Memoir of Fighting Fire — Clare Frank, fire chief (ret.)
- On the Line: Women Firefighters Tell Their Stories — Linda Willing, fire officer (ret.)
Legal considerations
- Legal Considerations for Fire and Emergency Services — Curt Varone, attorney and deputy chief (ret.)
- Fire Officer’s Legal Handbook — Curt Varone, attorney and deputy chief (ret.)
Resilience, mental wellness and human performance
- The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma — Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, psychiatrist
- Mind of Fire: The Science and Art of Decision Making — Kiel Samsing, firefighter
- Firefighter Functional Fitness: The Essential Guide to Optimal Firefighter Performance and Longevity — Dan Kerrigan, fire chief (ret.) and Jim Moss, captain
- Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams — Dr. Matthew Walker, neuroscientist and sleep researcher
- Operator Syndrome — Dr. Chris Frueh, clinical psychologist
- The Divided Mind: The Epidemic of Mindbody Disorders — Dr. John E. Sarno, professor of clinical rehabilitation medicine
- Rising Strong: How the Ability to Reset Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent and Lead — Brené Brown, research professor
Habits and behavioral change
- Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones — James Clear
- Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything — Dr. BJ Fogg, behavior scientist
- Mini Habits: Smaller Habits, Bigger Results — Stephen Guise
- The Let Them Theory — Mel Robbins
Now get out there and learn something, do something and share something to make you and those around you Better Every Shift.
