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.

LATET ARTICLES

Fire Department Management

Public Safety Officers’ Benefits program: What first responders need to know

Learn who is eligible to receive PSOB benefits, how to appeal if your application was denied and how the program processes COVID-19-related claims

May 11, 2022 12:41 PM

Rachel Engel

Fire News

What is the Reedy Creek Improvement District? Inside Disney’s de facto government

How the impending dissolution of the independent district could impact the Reedy Creek Fire Department, which protects the entertainment resort

May 05, 2022 10:30 AM

Rachel Engel

Financial, Insurance & Legal Services

Poll call: 76% say firefighters should be allowed to use medical marijuana – just not on duty

The poll of nearly 700 FireRescue1 readers addressed opinions on medical marijuana use in states where it is already legal

April 21, 2022 05:16 PM

Rachel Engel

911 and Dispatch

Fire, EMS agencies celebrate National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week

What’s in a name? From dispatchers to telecommunicators or “headset heroes,” social posts show appreciation for the “first, first responders”

April 14, 2022 05:01 PM

Rachel Engel

Ditch the ‘It can’t happen here’ Mindset

Under fire in Iraq, then Las Vegas

Oscar Monterossa served in the U.S. Army for four years as a combat medic, but it was the Route 91 Harvest music festival shooting where the paramedic felt most vulnerable

March 22, 2022 05:01 PM

Rachel Engel

Personal Protective Equipment

Quiz: Do you really know your PPE?

Even with near-daily wear, many firefighters don’t understand the what, why and how that went into the development of each element of the ensemble

February 18, 2022 01:10 PM

Rachel Engel

Research into Firefighter Behavior & Beliefs

Poll analysis: What is your department’s policy for personal activities while on duty?

A recent news story out of Portland, Ore., sparked a debate about what activities should and should not be allowed while on shift at the station

February 09, 2022 06:22 PM

Rachel Engel

Recruitment and Retention

Out-of-the-box recruitment ideas for short-staffed fire departments

Looking to hire? Check out these unique recruiting ideas

February 08, 2022 02:07 PM

Rachel Engel

Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Still can’t smell after COVID? How to ‘train’ your nose

The unmistakable whiff of smoke is often what first alerts someone to a nearby fire. But what if you can’t smell?

February 01, 2022 12:50 PM

Rachel Engel

Entertainment

5 things to know about Randolph Mantooth

Mantooth’s portrayal of Firefighter-Paramedic Johnny Gage in “Emergency!” has inspired people to pursue a career in fire and emergency services for five decades

January 14, 2022 10:57 AM

Rachel Engel