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.
Track the daily habits that support operational readiness, performance and long-term health.
Better Every Shift: Health Focus
Deputy Chief Darin Wallentine talks Safety Stand Down resources to share with your crew, plus managing “sticky” traumatic event memories
The longtime volunteer, safety and health advocate underscores the power of showing your members you care
Dr. Rachelle Zemlok weighs in on how Zam navigated a challenging year, including a particularly difficult MCI call
Health & Wellness Resources
First Responder Wellness Week 2026 focuses on total wellness for true readiness
There has been a broad decline in protective garment composite thermal protective performance levels recently
Medford Fire’s hydration policy identifies triggers for administration of IV fluids — part of a three-pronged approach to rehab
Closing the hood-to-mask and hood-to-collar gap helps reduce heat stress and contaminant exposure at a critical interface in the turnout ensemble
With the 2026 Winter Olympic Games underway, check out these first responders who served both locally and on the international stage
You’ll never be on your A-game if you don’t take care of yourself
How to assess your current status, develop clear and measurable goals, and create a plan for success
When free of shift schedules, try these tips to get to sleep faster and achieve quality sleep
Forget protein bars — the best “exercise snack” happens in the patrol car, between calls or while restocking the rig
A quick scroll through these influencers’ pages will inspire you to get off the station couch and hit the gym – or at least consider it!
It’s critical to carve out time for yourself; otherwise, your life will become all about work
Keeping a journal isn’t for everyone, but you can redefine what journaling means to you
How supplements and smart shopping can start incremental change
How does your resilience measure up?
Lose yourself in these songs as you work out for your physical and mental health
Guidance for know when to everyday stressors become something bigger, something that requires professional help
Many first responders avoid connection, but connecing with and confiding in someone who cares about us is proven to reduce stress
By encouraging gratitude among members, fire departments can cultivate a culture of resiliency, as members are better able to bounce back from difficult situations
Understanding optimal water intake, plus simple steps for achieving daily hydration goals
Simple steps to help optimize sleep quality even when you can’t get the recommended number of hours
Stretching can help overcome some of the common muscle tightness that occurs naturally over time
How first responders can adapt to and recover from adversity faced on the job
The Lexipol co-founder details the impetus for creating this health-focused event for all first responders
Lexipol created First Responder Wellness Week to support, raise awareness and promote strong self-care among public safety workers
Chief Marc Bashoor joins a special live Better Every Shift to discuss what it really means to be a healthy firefighter
It is essential to create a supportive, inclusive and trusting work environments
Many first responders report experiencing the chronic feelings of guilt and shame that are central to moral injury
Burying our feelings of trauma and shame only further entrench them in our experiences
From resistance-training complexes to gamifying training, these strategies will help you maximize the time you spend working out
Why fire and EMS personnel should incorporate functional training
One of the key risk factors for alcohol abuse is post-traumatic stress, something many first responders struggle with
In this video, Aaron Zamzow offers his thought process for selecting the best fitness motivation for you, such as marathons or stair climb events
Because we know how high the risk is for first responders, we must be diligent in detecting and preventing cardiac disease
The transition from shift work to desk work typically brings a more sedentary lifestyle that needs to be actively resisted
How to communicate with your family after a tragedy or difficult shift
Emergency service officials issue warning after paramedic found dead in gym accident
We need to apply our fireground mayday training to our mental health and personal stressors
Dogs have a long history helping firefighters; now they expand their role to offer physical and mental health benefits
