Better Every Shift

Your post-call reset starts here

“Pain sucks,” as Zam puts it — and ignoring it doesn’t make it go away. Dr. Bita Shahidi, a physical therapist who has worked with firefighters and professional athletes, explains why the aches and pains firefighters push through during their careers often become the injuries that define retirement. She urges firefighters to approach their bodies like tactical athletes, with regular movement screenings, mobility work and recovery built into the job — instead of waiting until something breaks. Shahidi also shares a simple three-minute mobility routine, explains why sleep and breathing matter as much as strength training, and makes the case for treating small pains before they become surgeries. The takeaway is straightforward: A few minutes of maintenance today can help you perform better now and enjoy retirement without paying for decades of ignored wear and tear.

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.

Email bettereveryshift@firerescue1.com to share your feedback.

NERIS: Everybody calm down already

“Everybody just calm down about NERIS.” That’s Zam’s charge to Misfit Nation this week as he speaks with NERIS lead developer Craig Weinschenk. The conversation goes beyond software updates and reporting requirements to explore how the fire service can finally quantify rescues, identify emerging risks and make a stronger case for the resources it needs.

As director of research for the Fire Safety Research Institute, Weinschenk stepped away from fire behavior research to help lead one of the most ambitious modernization projects the fire service has tackled in decades. With millions of records already flowing into the system and 30,000-plus U.S. fire departments in the system, NERIS is moving from rollout mode to something much bigger.

Weinschenk addresses the feedback and misconceptions surrounding the platform while explaining how firefighter input is already shaping future updates. He also shares his vision for using NERIS data to identify response trends, track emerging hazards, better document rescues and provide departments with information they can use to improve operations and advocate for resources.

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.

Email bettereveryshift@firerescue1.com to share your feedback.

The grant clock is ticking

AFG, SAFER, and Fire Prevention and Safety grants are open — and the clock is already ticking toward the June 22 deadline. For Lexipol grant specialist Jane Prescott, it's the fire service equivalent of the Super Bowl: Hundreds of millions of dollars in available funding, a compressed application window and departments across the country scrambling to get their requests submitted. Prescott joins Zam and Fire Chief Jason Caughey to cut through some of the biggest misconceptions surrounding federal grants, including who is really competitive, how peer reviewers evaluate applications and why departments should focus on telling an honest story instead of submitting a wish list. They also spotlight often-overlooked opportunities like FEMA's microgrant program, which can help departments secure funding for high-priority needs without pursuing a larger-scale project. Whether you're writing the grant, supporting the process or simply wondering why your department isn't pursuing funding opportunities, this discussion offers a practical roadmap for turning need into a competitive application before this year's window closes.

Resources:

• Federal grants open: AFG (equipment), SAFER (staffing), Fire Prevention & Safety
• FireRescue1 Fire Grant Center: Find grant-related news, funding opportunity updates, application guidance, expert grant-writing resources and educational content.
• GrantFinder: Learn how to navigate the grant process end to end, so you can win more funding for the equipment, staffing and programs your team depends on. Contact our team.

Email bettereveryshift@firerescue1.com to share your feedback.

Schaeffer: The fire service can’t afford CAVE leadership

Nobody tells you that becoming chief means owning problems you can’t fully control, absorbing pressure that doesn’t clock out and still leading like the weight isn’t showing. Columbia (Mo.) Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer digs into the uncomfortable realities of adding bugles, including the pressure to move an organization forward when maintaining the status quo is far easier. Schaeffer talks succession planning, firefighter wellness, organizational culture and why chiefs have to stop acting like “fire gods” and start acting like servant leaders. He also offers a sharp warning about becoming part of the “CAVE” mentality — Chiefs Against Virtually Everything — and why protecting comfort is one of the biggest threats to innovation.

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.

Email bettereveryshift@firerescue1.com to share your feedback.

Safety Stand Down 2026 goes all-in on fitness

Fitness is so much more than hitting the gym from time to time in order to pass an annual exam. It’s about whether you can get the job done today AND 20 years from now, not to mention whether you’ll actually be able to enjoy your retirement. Chief Darin Wallentine, chair of the Firefighter Safety Stand Down, breaks down this year’s fitness theme and why the campaign expanded from five days to seven. Each letter in FITNESS tackles a different piece of firefighter wellness. Wallentine also digs into the culture piece — why company officers set the tone, why firefighters have to stop ignoring warning signs and why departments need to treat fitness as a career survival tool, not a side hobby. If your crew needs a reset or your department is trying to build a healthier culture, there are plenty of practical takeaways here. After all, “you gotta start sometime — why not now?”

Enjoying the show? Email bettereveryshift@firerescue1.com to share feedback. 

Zam’s formula for better health and performance

For years, Zam was known as “the fitness guy” in the fire service, preaching workouts and functional training. But his perspective has evolved to recognize that firefighter health is rooted in the convergence of several factors — the difference-makers for career longevity:

• Nutrition and hydration to reduce inflammation
• Functional fitness, mobility and core work to improve performance and reduce injuries
• The power of sleep and recovery
• The role gratitude, mindset and positivity in changing physiology and stress response

Zam also shares the challenge that changed his own health trajectory — choosing five daily habits for 50 days through the R50 Challenge — and explains how small, consistent actions can lead to moving better, feeling better and performing better on and off duty.

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 your feedback.

Dena Ali returns: Mental health starts with leadership

“We have to rethink it.” That’s the challenge Battalion Chief Dena Ali brings to our latest conversation on firefighter mental health, not because the fire service hasn’t made significant strides but because too many firefighters are still struggling in silence. In her return to Better Every Shift, Ali explains why leadership, sleep and psychological safety are deeply tied to firefighter wellness, and how peer support programs tap into the “magic” of the brotherhood and sisterhood. Ali also shares the leadership mistakes she’s learned from herself, including finding balance between empathy and boundaries. There’s plenty here for chiefs, company officers and firefighters looking for practical ways to build healthier crews — starting with habits that don’t require a budget or a new policy to implement.

• Register: FRCE Mental Wellness Symposium
• Read: “Hope out of darkness: A guide to first responder mental wellness”

Enjoying the show? Email editor@firerescue1.com to share feedback. 

Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell’s mission to elevate the fire service

Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell is working to elevate the fire service. She prioritized this mission during her tenure as U.S. fire administrator and continues the push in her new role as principal fire safety strategist for UL Research Institutes’ Fire Safety Research Institute. Dr. Lori details the new role, spotlighting FSRI’s role in advancing global fire safety research, especially in lithium-ion batteries and climate change impacts. We dig into all this, plus:

• Where the USFA should live within the federal government
• The significance of One Voice advocacy for the fire service worldwide
• Advice for emerging fire service leaders
• How to manage burnout in high-stress fire service careers
• Practical steps for fire service leaders to influence policy and national safety standards

Read next:

• ‘Don’t let USFA go back in the shadows’: Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell’s message to fire service leaders
• It’s time for a cabinet-level Department of Emergency Services

Enjoying the show? Email editor@firerescue1.com to share feedback. 

Develop TIC discipline

Chief Andy Starnes, our resident thermal imaging expert, is back for a thermal imaging 101 crash course: how to check the TIC every shift, how to clean it, where to attach the TIC to your gear, plus some basic do’s and don’ts. Starnes, the founder of Insight Fire Training, explains how to maximize the technology while avoiding the “Filmmaker Firefighter” problem. Starnes details some unique features of Seek Thermal’s imagers and encourages listeners to check out instructional videos from Insight Fire Training’s TIC Resource Center to use during crew training.

Visit TheFireStore (booths 110 and 111) and Seek Thermal (booths 15509 and 2435) at FDIC.

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 editor@firerescue1.com to share feedback. 

Stress changes everything: Gasaway talks fireground decision-making

How could they not see it coming? It’s a common knee-jerk reaction to news or incident reports about calls that went south. But Dr. Rich Gasaway — a former fire chief and the founder of Situational Awareness Matters — cautions against judgment, emphasizing that it can be extremely difficult to see the red flags flying around us, as stress compromises decision-making during high-risk situations. You have to train your brain through mental rehearsals so you’re able to go beyond simply having your head on a swivel to being able to predict what will happen next — and make the right decision for yourself and your crew.

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.

Email bettereveryshift@firerescue1.com to share your feedback.