The fire service is undergoing a transformation, one that better recognizes the often-forgotten areas of health and wellness alongside operational effectiveness.
After nearly 32 years with the FDNY, I have taken on a new role, the role of managing director at the First Responder Center for Excellence (FRCE), a nonprofit affiliate of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.
Our mission is to address firefighters’ and other first responders’ health, wellness, and safety needs through research, education, and training.
This new chapter of my career aligns perfectly with my leadership philosophy, which emphasizes the importance of addressing what I call the firefighter’s “blind side.”
When I refer to the “blind side,” I’m talking about issues that have too often remained on the back burner in the fire service, such as occupational cancer, mental health, PTSD, sleep, nutrition, and physical fitness.
While firefighters excel at caring for others, they often do a poor job of looking after themselves.
However, I am optimistic that the fire service is turning a corner in addressing these critical topics, and several promising developments fuel that optimism.
First, awareness of occupational cancer is driving change.
Policies and procedures are being updated, and research is yielding essential data to inform those policies.
Also, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has reclassified firefighting as a Group 1 carcinogen, underscoring the urgency of these changes.
Additionally, the National Firefighter Registry for Cancer is now in place and in the future will provide a much-needed resource for tracking and addressing cancer risks in our profession.
Another area of progress is in sleep health.
We are seeing new research aimed at evaluating and optimizing shift schedules, and some organizations have already adjusted shift start times to allow firefighters to get better rest.
Sleep deprivation has long been a problem in the fire service, but growing awareness and research are beginning to shift attitudes and practices.
Mental health education has also improved, with the stigma surrounding conversations about PTSD and suicide slowly fading.
More firefighters understand that it’s okay to not be okay, and we are beginning to train for resiliency before a critical incident even happens.
Suicide, once a taboo subject, is now more openly discussed, as seen during my time as FDNY’s Chief of Safety when we dedicated our “safety week” to suicide awareness.
The feedback from this training was overwhelmingly positive because it showed our firefighters that we genuinely care about their well-being.
The increasing focus on physical fitness and nutrition is another reason for optimism.
Firefighters are beginning to see the connection between functional fitness, injury prevention, and optimal performance on the fireground.
The combination of flexibility, strength training, and proper nutrition is gaining recognition as critical to maintaining not only operational readiness but also long-term health.
While firefighters must take responsibility for their health, leadership plays a crucial role in creating the right environment.
Leaders must set standards, ensure policies are in place, and make resources available while holding their members accountable.
By leading this charge, we fulfill our responsibilities as leaders and show that we care for our firefighters.
In this new era of fire service research—whether it’s fire behavior, occupational cancer, or the effects of sleep deprivation—we are building a foundation for future generations.
By controlling what we can, we ensure that firefighting remains a profession people want to join and one where they can thrive, both in service and retirement.
We are all in this together.
Frank Leeb is the managing director of the First Responder Center for Excellence (FRCE).
He previously served as a Deputy Assistant Chief in the Fire Department of New York, retiring in 2024 with more than 31 years.
During his tenure with the FDNY, he held several senior staff positions, including the Chief of the Fire Academy, Chief of Training, and Chief of Safety.
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