Rachel Engel

Rendering Aid

Rachel Engel is an award-winning journalist and the senior editor of FireRescue1.com and EMS1.com. In addition to her regular editing duties, Engel seeks to tell the heroic, human stories of first responders and the importance of their work. She earned her bachelor’s degree in communications from Cameron University in Lawton, Oklahoma, and began her career as a freelance writer, focusing on government and military issues. Engel joined Lexipol in 2015 and has since reported on issues related to public safety. Engel lives in Wichita, Kansas. She can be reached via email.

LATEST ARTICLES

Natural Disaster

7 must-do steps for hurricane disaster preparation

From gathering necessities to understanding the hazards once the winds have ceased, these seven steps will ensure your community is prepared for a major storm

May 07, 2026 10:47 AM

Rachel Engel

Community Risk Reduction

7 must-do steps for flood disaster preparation

Disaster preparation for a flood includes gathering necessities, relying on local media sources and being aware of the dangers rising waters bring

May 07, 2026 10:45 AM

Rachel Engel

Health & Wellness

Operationalizing camaraderie: Inside Phoenix’s approach to member support

PFD Assistant Chief Jeff Schripsema shares a powerful story highlighting the department’s commitment to its members

March 25, 2026 02:20 PM

Rachel Engel

FDNY

‘We have to right the ship’: FDNY commissioner doubles down on EMS pay parity

Lillian Bonsignore draws on her 30-plus-year EMS career to spotlight the financial realities facing first responders

March 20, 2026 03:20 PM

Rachel Engel

Conceptual illustration of a man sleeping over the minute handle of a clock

First Responder Wellness Week

6 reasons you should take a power nap today

Who could use a little more sleep?

March 17, 2026 03:00 PM

Rachel Engel

Health & Wellness

28 ways leaders can better support firefighter mental health

From family outreach to increased counseling access and more understanding from supervisors, firefighters are looking to leadership to step up in this area

March 03, 2026 12:29 PM

Rachel Engel

Off Duty

Team USA: Olympians with first responder ties

With the 2026 Winter Olympic Games underway, check out these first responders who served both locally and on the international stage

February 10, 2026 11:19 AM

Rachel Engel

Fire Service Culture

Remember that time firefighting was featured at the Olympics?

It’s true — at the 1900 Olympic Games in Paris, a variety of non-traditional events were showcased, leading to the first (and only!) Olympic recognition for firefighting

February 09, 2026 11:47 AM

Rachel Engel

Brotherhood and Sisterhood

‘Something I can never repay': How Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell’s career was shaped by the fire family

The former U.S. fire administrator shares how a colleague’s kindness in her first days on the job set her up for success

February 02, 2026 03:31 PM

Rachel Engel

Mental health ,brain development medical treatment concept, line in a shape of arrange messy to perfect, complicated string try to go in the same direction , vector illustration

First Responder Wellness Week

8 ways to support your own mental health

These tips, tools, products and services are designed to promote emotional and psychological resilience

January 20, 2026 02:21 PM

Rachel Engel