Fire Rescue Wellness
Welcome to the Fire Rescue Wellness Podcast! My name is Annette Zapp (or AZ), and I'm a Retired Career Firefighter and Ph.D. Student on a mission to ensure that every firefighter feels physically, mentally, and emotionally supported in their work. Join my guests and me as we have the critical conversations that help firefighters stay healthy and well.
Episodes
Mike had a short career in minor league baseball, then decided he wanted to be a firefighter. Hear about he he helps manage the health and wellness program at his department. You can hear the full original episode here: https://www.firerescuewellness.org/podcast/episode-45-medium-sized-department-health-and-wellness-program-management-with-mike-pericht-cscs
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Congratulations to Coach Sarah Johnson! She recently won the title of the World's Strongest Woman. Hear about her training, her previous career as a firefighter, moving across the country to train with the best coach in the Strongman business and much more.
This job is tough on us. And honestly, no one is getting out of this life alive, so why even try? I disagree! There are so many ways to mitigate our risk of early death. Hear more in today's spotlight. You can access the full-length original episode here: https://www.firerescuewellness.org/podcast/episode-44-death-and-taxes-with-annette-zapp-cscsd
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...
My guy Sebastian specializes in creating order out of chaos for first responders. Check out the great conversation we had a few weeks ago.
Sebastian Olave has been in the strength and conditioning industry since 2010. He has worked at various levels including youth and collegiate athletics, private training facilities, Olympic weightlifting, and most recently as a Strength and Conditioning Coach and Exercise Physiologist for the Au...
Check out this great explanation of Heart Rate Variability (HRV) from Dr. Mark Abel, from the University of Kentucky. You can hear the full original episode here: https://www.firerescuewellness.org/podcast/episode-43-firefighter-research-with-mark-abel-phd
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Manny is back, and this time he is speaking about incumbent health and wellness. Check out his recent episode here: Episode 204
So what, now what?!?
Finding a proponent and champion at the Chief level is incredibly helpful when instituting new programs such as hydration and nutrition or decon! Hear about the collaboration at Seattle Fire.
Registration for the 2026 Women's Tactical Human Performance Summit starts on 12.15.25. Chec...
In this week's Spotlight, Dr. Chung speaks about concussion physiology and treatment. Firefighters should be heads up (pun intended) about brain injuries. You can hear the entire original episode here.
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Vanessa is back, and this time she's talking about the recently completed Impact Evaluation conducted by Pflugerville (TX) Fire. Shout-out to some previous podcast guests for their mentions in the episode. Their episodes are linked at the bottom of the show notes.
You can take a look at the report here:
So what, now what?!?
Data should drive decisions, but in order for that to occur effectively, the data needs to be collected, h...
The consequences of sleep deprivation in public safety and the military are indisputable. Hear what Dr. Allison Brager, Army Major and Sleep Neuroscientist, has to say in this week's Spotlight. Tune in to the full original episode here.
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It only took three years, but I finally got Manny Romero on the podcast (and now we already have a part 2 booked!)
Manny Romero is the Health and Fitness Coordinator at the Seattle Fire Department, a role he has held since 2022. He brings a diverse background in tactical and performance training, having worked with the U.S. Army’s Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F) program, Navy Fitness, and Point Loma Sports Performance. Manny holds...
Ask a better question, get a better answer-at least when you're querying an expert. Unless you're a guru, answers are nuanced, and context matters! Hear the original episode here.
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Discount C...
In today's episode, you'll hear about training for Wildland Firefighters from Austin Womack, owner of Rugged Athlete.
Austin Womack is a strength and conditioning coach, wildland firefighter, Army Infantry Officer, and owner of Rugged Athlete LLC. His company's mission is to lead from the front in facilitating a new era of human performance in wildland firefighting. Austin accomplishes this by blending his hands-on e...
Life runs at hyper speed, and sometimes simply setting yourself up for success in the future helps more than you could ever anticipate! I use the concept of taking care of future me a lot as it applies to health and wellness, but in today's Spotlight you'll hear some anecdotes about how this concept applied to me in the wild. Check out the original episode here.
Kelly Kennedy is back, and today we're talking about academy injuries and heat-related illnesses. As always, there were side tangents, and today included one on the nasty taste of essential amino acids (BLECH!) and the Society for Sport Neuroscience Conference.
Kelly has been the exercise physiologist for a large police agency in the southeastern US for over 25 years. She's a fellow nutrition nerd (Yay ISSN!!) and conferen...
I fought starting a podcast for five years. But once I did, I was so happy I took the plunge. Now we're three years in and Episode 200 is looming. Hear a little bit from my very first episode with Vince Zittnan from Fire and Iron Media, my production company. Check out the original episode here.
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Two things can be true at once. Maura Shea is one of the best speakers and podcast guests I've ever had, and Maura Shea absolutely hates being on podcasts. In fact, she's now been on a grand total of three, and they've all been with me!
I'm so appreciative of her time, insight, and expertise, and you're going to love hearing about her transition from being an Athletic Trainer for firefighters to being a fire...
Almost two years ago, James Geering originally appeared on my podcast (catch the entire episode here), and since then, several departments across the country have adopted a shorter work week. We need to keep pushing toward creating healthier work environments for firefighters because change is possible!
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Exercise snacks are not food, but rather brief bouts of moderate to intense exercise that do not require equipment. The coolest part is that they can improve cardiometabolic and mental health, and even potentially performance in firefighters.
So what, now what?!?
Anchor these snacks to events that are already happening in your day!
Email AZ to find out how to set up a training at your department: info@firerescuewellness.org
Citations f...
Innovation is found outside of silos and sometimes you learn the most in places you might not belong. AZ recaps echo chambers in this week's FRW Spotlight.
Hear the entire original episode here.
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...
Check out Part II of how I think about programming for an academy.
So what, now what?
Rules I live by:
1-Arbitrary is not the way.
2-We don't train for fictional demands.
3-Do no harm!
4-A rising tide lifts all ships. Be a tide.
5-Wash, Rinse, Repeat
Hit this link to request a consult to figure out your training academy challenges!
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