Better Every Shift

‘You are in control’: Dr. Nicole Sawyer on how mindset drives health

Chronic stress is a job hazard. It impacts your ability to function on the fireground, which is also one of the factors causing your stress in the first place. It’s a cycle filled with physiological and psychological triggers that sometimes feel impossible to overcome. Dr. Nicole Sawyer — a licensed clinical psychologist and public safety mental health consultant — joins the podcast this week to break down what’s happening physiologically when that fight-or-flight stress response kicks in, plus how to manage the lower-level chronic stress that can quietly become a baseline experience.

Read next: “‘I’m fine’ is the biggest bullsh*t statement”: A call for honesty around behavioral health

This episode of the Better Every Shift Podcast is sponsored by TheFireStore. Learn more about getting the gear you need at prices you can afford by visiting TheFireStore.

Enjoying the show? Email bettereveryshift@firerescue1.com to share feedback or suggest guests for a future episode. 

‘You just don’t quit’: Chief Jeremy Craft’s lessons for leadership — and rodeo

There’s an unspoken rule in the rodeo world that to be successful, you need a don’t-quit attitude — it’s important when you’re riding bucking horses and it’s also important when you’re a fire service leader. No matter what the roadblocks, you don’t quit until you get the job done. That’s the philosophy that’s driven Lehi (Utah) Fire Chief Jeremy Craft during his early days at the rodeo and his current mission to elevate firefighter cancer prevention programs. We dig into this and much more: His personal cancer experience, his recent honor as the IAFC’s Career Fire Chief of the Year, what’s next for the Western Fire Chiefs Association, and the power of relationships: “You can never know enough people, and you can never have enough friends, especially if you’re in leadership,” he says. Tune in to hear more from Chief Craft.

This episode of the Better Every Shift Podcast is sponsored by MagneGrip. Eliminate diesel exhaust fumes from inside the fire station with a MagneGrip exhaust removal system. Learn more at MagneGrip.com.

Enjoying the show? Email bettereveryshift@firerescue1.com to share feedback or suggest a guest for an upcoming show! 

‘This game of trade-offs’: Jeff Stull talks NFPA standards

NFPA standards can be lengthy and hard to follow; fortunately, we’ve got Jeff Stull here to break down what you need to know, particularly as it relates to the newest big development — the consolidation of key PPE and SCBA standards into NFPA 1850. Stull shares insights into the standards-development process and why it’s always a “game of trade-offs” — gear that provides the best protection while still allowing you to get the job done.

Check out these additional resources:

• The Standards Series
• Stull’s FireRescue1 column: PPE update
• Webinar: Navigating the NFPA 1851 and 1852 merger into NFPA 1850

This episode of the Better Every Shift podcast is sponsored by MSA, the world’s leading manufacturer of high quality, fire-rescue and safety solutions, protecting first responders around the world since 1914. For more information, visit MSAfire.com.

Enjoying the show? Please take a moment to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. You can also follow the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts. And email bettereveryshift@firerescue1.com to share your feedback.

Biohack your health: Mike Binney talks fatigue management

Assistant Chief Mike Binney is here to help you biohack your health. If you don’t know what that means, don’t worry, Binney breaks it all down — what the latest research shows about sleep habits and fatigue management, plus the work underway to understand the impact of changing traditional shift schedules. Binney also speaks to the role of mobile integrated health and community risk reduction programs in the larger effort to reduce firefighter fatigue, because, as he underscores, “You don't get burned out from running fires and doing awesome stuff. You get burned out from seeing the same person three times in two days.”

Plus, consider participating in the research study Binney discusses: Shift Scheduling and Sleep Health in Firefighters & Firefighter Investigative Research on Essential Zzz (FIREZzz)

This episode of the Better Every Shift Podcast is sponsored by MagneGrip. Eliminate diesel exhaust fumes from inside the fire station with a MagneGrip exhaust removal system. Learn more at MagneGrip.com.

Enjoying the show? Email bettereveryshift@firerescue1.com to share your feedback or suggest guests for an upcoming episode.

‘Technology is the lure’: Kirk McKinzie talks FF recruitment

“If it doesn't have a touchscreen on it, I'm not using it.” That’s the message from some digital natives unsure about whether a traditionally tactile profession like the fire service is right for them. But as tech-expert Captain Kirk McKinzie explains, with the current pace of technology, there are countless opportunities for more tech-minded individuals in the fire service, and quite frankly, we must connect with them to keep up. In this way, technology can be the carrot for the next generation. We geek out about how to make this happen, plus AI, drones, VTOL EMS aircraft, predictive analytics, zero-visibility decision-making, gamification, extended reality training, even fire suppression catapults. And don’t miss:

• The tech that most exceeds McKinzie’s expectations
• The legacy tool that’s here to stay
• Why “Inspector Gadget” is the ultimate job

Resources we discussed:

• San Bernardino County Fire Protection District Technology Plan 2030
• IAFC Technology Council and TechTalkTuesdays
• Technology Summit International 2025

This episode of the Better Every Shift Podcast is sponsored by TheFireStore. Learn more about getting the gear you need at prices you can afford by visiting TheFireStore.

Enjoying the show? Please take a moment to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. You can also follow the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts. And email bettereveryshift@firerescue1.com to share your feedback.

Rainn Wilson on ‘Code 3’ and the brutal beauty of EMS life

Editor's Note: Enjoy this bonus episode of the EMS One-Stop podcast featuring special guest Rainn Wilson. 

In this episode of the EMS One-Stop podcast, our host, Rob Lawrence, sits down with Hollywood actor Rainn Wilson, who stars as Randy in “Code 3.”

Known worldwide for his role as Dwight Schrute in The Office, Wilson has stepped into the world of EMS, portraying the life of a burned-out paramedic with both grit and humor. In the conversation, Wilson reflects on the process of bringing this story to life, his ride-along experiences in Los Angeles, and the powerful realities he uncovered about our profession.

More than just a performance, Rainn has become an unexpected advocate for EMS. He speaks candidly about the underfunding of frontline providers, the emotional toll of the work and the sheer humanity that comes with being welcomed into people’s lives during their most vulnerable moments.

Alongside the serious themes, he reminds us that Code 3 is also a comedy — one that captures the gallows humor, camaraderie and resilience medics carry with them on every shift.

| MORE: Why ‘Code 3’ might be the most honest EMS film yet. From a ticking salary counter to fourth-wall confessions, this EMS road movie isn’t just another Hollywood take. It’s a love letter, a warning and a mirror.

Memorable quotes from Rainn Wilson

• “Most of all, I just fell in love with the character of Randy.”

• “Bottom line, the fact that first responders are getting basically what people that work at Starbucks are getting paid really blew my mind.”

• “Well, one thing I never thought of, maybe stupidly so, is how vulnerable everything is because you're going into people's homes and they're in crisis.”

• “I think Rob, no one should be allowed to graduate from high school without their kind of basic CPR training.”

• “Everything about EMS — the tone, the vibe, the gallows humor, certainly all the technical medical elements, the burnout, the camaraderie, the idea that there's a mission here — they do it because they love it.”

• “Well, it was an honor to learn about this world and to make a movie that these workers are excited about and proud of.”

• “I want to say from the bottom of my heart, you know, ‘thank you. Thank you for your work. And, you know, I think it's grossly underappreciated, but, you know, America needs you.’”

Episode timeline

00:26 – Rainn Wilson on the vulnerability of entering people’s homes in crisis

00:57 – “All we want to do is save your life. Some of you don’t make it easy.”

02:53 – Rainn’s first impressions of the “Code 3” script

03:38 – Falling in love with the character of Randy

04:22 – Discovering the realities of EMS work and shocking pay disparities

06:09 – Lessons from Wilson’s Los Angeles ride-along

10:12 – Wilson on CPR training and why everyone should learn it

12:29 – “We’re essentially a tube and a pump.”

13:11 – Rehearsals and the importance of portraying EMS medicine accurately

15:09 – On burnout, PTSD and the need to support medics’ mental health

18:08 – Using “Code 3” salary comparison as an advocacy tool

19:07 – Wilson praises Rob Riggle’s ED doctor role and its realism

20:41 – Cherishing the chance to shed light on EMS

21:10 – Reminder that the film is also a comedy — “a good old time with a bucket of popcorn”

22:25 – Final message: “America needs you. Keep saving lives.”

Rate and review the EMS One-Stop podcast

Enjoying the show? Please take a moment to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. Contact the EMS One-Stop team at editor@EMS1.com to share ideas, suggestions and feedback.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify and RSS feed.

‘Code 3’: A love letter to fire and EMS

“Code 3” — the action-comedy centered on a paramedic’s life in crisis — hits select theaters this week, and co-writer Patrick Pianezza joins Better Every Shift to detail the behind-the-scenes movie magic that transformed his real-life EMS experiences into an independent film starring Rainn Wilson, Lil Rel Howery and Aimee Carrero. Pianezza, who also served as a volunteer firefighter, shares his process capturing both the pressures and the humanity of EMS work — all wrapped in some seriously dark humor — plus all this:

• The scene he loves that didn’t make the movie

• The “Usual Suspects” moment that shifted the tone

• His push to “go darker” with the humor

• The medical scene they had to get right — his moviemaking “hill to die on”

Read more about Code 3: Why ‘Code 3’ might be the most honest EMS film yet

This episode of the Better Every Shift Podcast is sponsored by TheFireStore. Learn more about getting the gear you need at prices you can afford by visiting TheFireStore.

Enjoying the show? Email bettereveryshift@firerescue1.com to share feedback and suggest future guests. 

Zam’s hot takes: FF arrests, FDNY EMS, shift schedules + more

It’s been a wild week, with several controversial news items hitting inboxes and driving discussions on FireRescue1. Zam and Janelle dig into the stories that have generated hundreds of comments in FR1 forums recently, from the recent arrests of two members of a contracted fire crew in Washington, to one lieutenant’s call to break FDNY fire and EMS into separate services, to departments changing their shift schedules, and more. Check out the resources below and join the conversation:

• ICE arrests in Washington

• Federal-level changes impacting firefighters

• FDNY EMS

• Shift schedules

• Shift Scheduling and Sleep Health in Firefighters

• 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb – Lambeau Field

• 9/11 brotherhood

Enjoying the show? Email bettereveryshift@firerescue1.com to share feedback and suggest guests for an upcoming episode. 

‘It’s the backup line’: The real role of FEMA

With FEMA news changing by the day, Chief Marc Bashoor reflects on the current shakeups at the agency as well as the criticisms it faced 20 years ago following Hurricane Katrina. The chief offers insights into why FEMA’s role in disaster response has been misunderstood for years, plus the federal-level changes that could better elevate the role of the fire service. Bashoor urges fire service leaders to speak up about what they need to effectively serve the community — and that includes the impact of losing FEMA funding or programs. “The fire service has not always been one to squeak,” Bashoor notes, calling for firefighters to get more involved where they can, whether at the local, state or federal levels.

Resources:

• Some FEMA staff on leave after ‘statement of opposition’ letter ahead of Katrina anniversary

• The FEMA Katrina Declaration

• A timeline of federal program changes impacting the fire service

• What federal funding is important to you?

• It’s time for a cabinet-level Department of Emergency Services

• Congressional Fire Services Institute

This episode of the Better Every Shift Podcast is sponsored by TheFireStore. Learn more about getting the gear you need at prices you can afford by visiting TheFireStore.

Enjoying the show? Email bettereveryshift@firerescue1.com to share feedback and suggest future guests. 

‘Who’s your phone-a-friend?’: Dr. Sara Jahnke on the power of health-focused networks

Returning (again!) to Better Every Shift, fire service scientist-extraordinaire Dr. Sara Jahnke gets real about the firefighter/research connection: Historically, “we’ve done a sh*tty job translating science to practice” — but that’s changing with the growing movement around Science to the Station, an event that brings together firefighters, researchers and health experts to bridge the gap and form powerful connections. Dr. Jahnke outlines the magic of the S2S event and how all firefighters can get involved, even if you can’t make it to the November event in Colorado.

Dr. Jahnke also encourages everyone to participate in a national research study to better understand how sleep patterns and fatigue impact firefighter health and well-being. This study includes career and volunteer firefighters and spouses/partners of volunteer firefighters to ensure the researchers capture the full picture of sleep-related challenges in the fire service. Take the survey.

This episode of the Better Every Shift Podcast is sponsored by MagneGrip. Eliminate diesel exhaust fumes from inside the fire station with a MagneGrip exhaust removal system. Learn more at MagneGrip.com.

Enjoying the show? Email bettereveryshift@firerescue1.com to share feedback or suggest future guests.