First Responder Wellness Week is dedicated to providing resources, support and community to help public safety personnel better understand the mental and physical health risks that come with the job.
Join Lexipol, FireRescue1 and our partners from March 23-27, 2026, to focus on your health and promote the wellness of your personnel. Each day we’ll focus on a different topic, providing shift briefing videos, webinars, articles, podcasts and more, all within the overarching theme of being “Total Wellness. True Readiness.”
Join us for a week of daily sessions focused on strengthening wellness across your agency — everything from healthy habits and smart recovery to building a program that puts firefighter health front and center.
Practical strategies for injury, aging, and long-term performance.
Start here to create a restoration routine.
Why wellness is a need to have, not a nice to have.
How to weave wellness into your agency’s mission and culture.
Real first responder wellness questions, real answers.
Better Every Shift: Health Focus
Captain Marc Wysocki: It’s time to treat mental health like any other readiness standard
The Behind the Shield podcaster outlines the simple formula that makes a fourth shift work
Battalion Chief Greg Sawyer explains how one month at a slower station — replete with some cool health toys — can help members feel human again
Health & Wellness Resources
Chronic inflammation is driven by sleep disruption, poor nutrition, limited exercise and unresolved trauma
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
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!
First Responder Wellness Week 2026 focuses on total wellness for true readiness
Medford Fire’s hydration policy identifies triggers for administration of IV fluids — part of a three-pronged approach to rehab
You’ll never be on your A-game if you don’t take care of yourself
Take care of your active duty, but don’t forget about your retirees
Red flags are rarely subtle in hindsight
These tips, tools, products and services are designed to promote emotional and psychological resilience
As the Greek physician and philosopher Hippocrates said, “If you are in a bad mood, go for a walk. If you are still in a bad mood, go for another walk.”
The bravest leaders fight the fires you can’t see
Emily Hitchings and Greg Friese analyze the wellness impact of the West Metro Fire Department changing shift change to 9 a.m.
How to lean into a customer-focused approach to modern fire service delivery
Zapp, a human performance researcher and retired firefighter, talks health monitoring, smart (and safe) exercise, creatine supplements and more
Choose a “culturally competent clinician” who uses standardized, solutions-focused treatment protocols to treat duty-related PTSD
Explore the most-popular resources of the year, from tactical guidance and command insights to station planning and wellness support
“Set the standard": Turn a Florida hazing incident into a training and a culture-reset moment for your crew
Staffing takes time, but a rehab station addresses members’ critical health need right now
How high-drive, disaster-ready dogs train, deploy and partner with handlers to support complex search operations
Hands-on drills at Seminole County (Fla.) Fire Department expose service dogs to real emergency sights and sounds
Hansel had a million-dollar nose and a sandwich problem
Readiness across people, training, leadership and the future demands consistent, connected action at every level
The firefighter-counselor explains the problem with avoidant coping and how to help your brain finally deal with the ‘leftover stuff’
Preparation transforms uncertainty into confidence and ensures your organization is ready for whatever comes next
Fire service leaders must ensure their crews are mentally ready for every call — through training, trust and proactive support systems
A new study explores gender differences in PTSD and post-traumatic growth among firefighters, EMTs and medics
This conversation delves into the importance of proactive brain care, leadership resilience and the future of AI in healthcare
Stack the deck in your favor now, before the health battles become unwinnable
Long shifts, stress and sleep loss undermine firefighter readiness and safety, but new data-driven approaches offer hope
Understanding our physiological stress response is key to managing chronic stress
MOST POPULAR
- The Rehab Station: How one department is fighting burnout
- San Diego Fire-Rescue chiefs talk recruitment, wellness and community connection
- North River Fire: A case study in mental health support and member retention
- Should firefighters work out in their gear? Annette Zapp breaks it down
- Poll: Is your agency mission ready?