The health, safety, and wellness of firefighters are no longer individual responsibilities—they are leadership responsibilities. This interactive workshop is designed for company officers, chief officers, and fire service leaders who want practical strategies to improve workforce readiness, reduce risk, and build a culture that supports long-term performance both on and off the fireground.

Through a series of engaging "quick-hit" discussions led by subject matter experts, participants will explore the latest insights and best practices in nutrition and fueling, supplements, recovery and sleep, substance use, fitness, mental health, and occupational health. Attendees will leave with actionable tools, evidence-based resources, and leadership approaches they can immediately apply to support healthier firefighters, stronger crews, and more resilient organizations. See below for the agenda and panelists joining us.

AGENDA

WELCOME & INTRODUCTIONS

PRESENTATIONS (15 minutes each)

Establishing Connections Before Needing Them

Learn how to build trusted relationships, access available resources, reduce barriers to seeking support, and partner with your doctor to take a proactive approach to your health.

Manny Almaguer, Assistant Chief, Denver Fire Department

Mental Resiliency

Resilience isn't something you either have or don't have—it's something that expands or shrinks based on how well we recognize stress before it quietly empties the tank. Using practical tools like the Stress Continuum, we will discuss building a language that's more useful than simply saying “I’m fine," recognizing the difference between being tired and being depleted, and identifying ways to refill your capacity before life (or your next shift) makes that decision for you. We will also touch on how a post-traumatic growth mindset can help you and your people move beyond simply surviving the job and instead use adversity to build greater strength, perspective, and purpose—without pretending any of it is easy.

Dr. Sara Metz, Founder, Code-4 Counseling

Exploring Cannabis, Sleep, Alcohol & Recovery 

Sleep, recovery, and alcohol use are critical topics for firefighter wellness. Chronic sleep disruption and alcohol use increase risk factors and negatively impact physical and mental health. Medical cannabis may offer an alternative approach for some firefighters to manage pain, anxiety, PTSD and sleeping issues, and reduce alcohol use. Communication and education are key to effective workplace policies that integrate medical cannabis responsibly into the fire service while prioritizing health and safety.

Paul Walton, Founder & Executive Director, Firefighters for Plant Medicine

Family Involvement & Department Wellness Assessment

Understanding where departments currently stand through wellness strategic planning and how leaders can create meaningful cultural and operational change that supports your personnel and their family members.

Rene Macias, Director of Employee Wellness, Denver Department of Public Safety

Firefighter Tactical Fitness Framework

Firefighters don't manage emergencies without an Incident Action Plan, and fitness training deserves the same level of preparation. This session introduces the Firefighter Tactical Fitness Framework, which applies proven fireground principles to fitness programming. Participants will learn how to build a structured training plan by first assessing each firefighter's current level of readiness and meeting them where they are. The framework translates the Incident Action Plan into fitness programming: Size-Up becomes assessment, Strategy becomes program design, Tactics become training sessions, Tasks become training exercises, and After-Action Review becomes workout scoring to measure progress and guide continuous improvement. The result is a simple, repeatable system that helps firefighters train with purpose, perform with confidence, and be Response Ready.

Ryan Provencher, Battalion Chief (Ret.), Founder at Firefighter Peak Performance and Executive Fitness Advisor for CRACKYL Magazine

MODERATED PANEL & AUDIENCE DISCUSSION

Moderators – Kory Pearn, Publisher & Editor-in-Chief; and MaKenzie Tiegs, CRACKYL Magazine

CLOSING

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