Host Scott Hewlett and guest Matthew Lysy, a firefighter/paramedic with Prince George’s County (MD) Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, detail their journeys into firefighting, early career influences, personal mentors, and work ethic. On this episode of Multiple Calls, they discuss mental health, with Hewlett detailing how a sudden stay in the ICU led him to therapy, and how to focus on mental well-being. They argue that training must include sleep, recovery, decision making, and leadership development. Hewlett explains how he blends practical fireground tactics with human performance. He talks about the importance of visiting firehouses nationwide to raise standards, improve retention, and build resilient crews.

Hosts Dan DeGryse and Chris Muscle welcome Luke Schneider to Mental Health Monthly for a conversation about mental health stigmas, the power of vulnerability, balancing family and work, and staying steady under pressure. Schneider details his decade of service, opening Fire Department Coffee, and entrepreneurship. They explore how the simplest interventions, like sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee, can rebuild human connection and reduce isolation for first responders. Schneider explains why he prefers action over limelight and how small rituals restore purpose after trauma.

On this episode of Five After Midnight, host and Firefighter Nation Editor in Chief Stephanie White and her husband, Billy Hux, deliver a raw, personal, and honest conversation about mental health in the fire service. Hux recounts a traumatic 1999 call in Virginia—the death of a colleague, a botched immediate debrief, and its long-term effects on careers and relationships. The two examine the challenges of critical incident stress management (CISM) and peer support. They also make a case for simpler, human-first responses. They explore how small, unglamorous acts build trust, why the right peer-support leader matters, and how sensory triggers can reopen memories years after the fact.

Fire departments aren’t struggling to find people. They’re struggling to keep them. In this episode of The C.A.N. Report, host Mike Goldstein welcomes guest Lyle McKay, a captain from Ogunquit Fire Department, in Maine. McKay speaks from experience to break down what’s actually pushing firefighters to walk away: weak leadership, ignored voices, and cultures that haven’t kept up with the job.

The problem isn’t pay alone. It’s showing up to a station where no one listens, where feedback goes nowhere, and where leaders stop growing the moment they get promoted. McKay lays out a different approach, built on three pillars: leadership, culture, and development.

On this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Chris Marella welcomes Genna McMillan to discuss mentorship, imposter syndrome, and how women navigate this male-dominated field. McMillan recounts growing up on a rural farm, volunteering her way into a full-time career, donating her liver to a coworker, and returning to the fire station to mentor young firefighters. She details her experience with gaining confidence and breaking down the barriers as a woman in the fire service.

John Velez and Preston Lyons welcome Helton Pereira to this episode of The Revolutionaries for a wide-ranging conversation about putting faith, family, and fitness before firefighting. Pereira, a firefighter, podcaster, and author of The First Things First, shares practical habits including shared calendars, fridge family planners, morning quiet time, and more. He also shares honest mistakes and turnaround moments, and how mentorship and servant leadership reshape firehouse culture one person at a time.

How are clinicians supporting firefighter mental health? In this installment of Igniting the Shift Within, host David Dachinger welcomes guest Marie Gumá, founder of Command Counseling Center. Guma’s been there—on the front lines, after the sirens fade, when the real battle begins. From the aftermath of the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, to the 24-hour shifts in firehouses, she’s rewriting the playbook on psychological support.

The discussion moves through critical moments that shape firefighter mental health: traumatic calls, the weight of helplessness, and the guilt that follows when outcomes aren’t what crews hoped for. There’s also a hard look at retirement, a transition deserving of more attention than it often gets.

In the premiere episode of Frontline Findings, Stephanie White, editor in chief of Firefighter Nation, and Rachel Bozek, a senior editor at Firefighter Nation and Fire Engineering, learn about Mindfulness in Motion, a program designed with first responders in mind. Dr. Maryanna Klatt, a professor and researcher at Ohio State University's Wexner Medical Center, created the program, which launches its next round of eight virtual sessions on Thursday, March 26, 2026.

Created with the goal of reducing participants’ stress and increasing their ability to remain calm, Mindfulness in Motion has proven successful in the past. Klatt discusses the program's use of mindfulness, breathing techniques, and gentle movement to tackle the chronic stress firefighters face daily. The program is also available via the Mindfulness in Motion app.