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By: Robert Avsec, Executive Fire Officer Pick up almost any fire service trade journal or visit most industry websites and you’ll hear a familiar refrain: leaders in the U.S. fire service are telling us that a “new normal” emerged from the Great Recession of 2008. What I find far less often, however, is a serious discussion about what that new ...

Sponsored Content: First Responder Behavioral Health Institute By: Robert Avsec, Executive Fire Officer The First Responder Behavioral Health Institute (FRBHI) is breaking new ground with its transformative course, Medicine Song: Spiritual Healing and the Psychedelic Renaissance. Designed to bridge ancient wisdom and modern science, this program explores the profound role of music and spirituality in healing, while diving into the ...

By: Robert Avsec, Executive Fire Officer This post originally appeared back in 2020, so I know that it likely needs updating. If your firefighter camp for girls is listed, please make sure what’s here is still relevant. If your camp is not listed, please send me an email with a short description and the URL to rpa1157@gmail.com. So, the other ...

By: Margaret Gavian, Ph. D, Guest Blogger Original graphic by Robert Avsec created using Microsoft Copilot AI (I’m working and learning how to use AI responsibly!). Lately, I’ve been notified of an onslaught of critical calls happening across the departments I serve – multiple suicides, drownings, burn victims, violent scenes, brutal accidents. You name it, it’s happening. These aren’t rookie ...

Do you know of a fire service leader–They can be of any rank– who’s working in their fire department or region to promote mental and behavioral health services for firefighters and EMS personnel? The Fire Service Leader of the Year Award presented annually at the FSPA’s Annual Conference If so, wouldn’t their name look good on this year’s award from ...

By: William Hux, Chief Fire Marshal, Va. State Fire Marshals Office, Va. Fire Marshal Academy Now that FDIC 2025 has ended and 37,000 fire service members have moved out of Indy, it’s time to share some thoughts (yes as always – it’s my normally long thoughts, sorry).The week was full of friends I haven’t seen in a year, classes with ...

Original Graphic by Robert Avsec. This picture depicts, IMHO, the different “nations” that make up the “fire service” in the U.S. The different “nations,” represented by the bold red and blue lines, are based upon my knowledge of the different “fire service cultures” that exist in those “nation.” By: Robert Avsec, Executive Fire Officer A fire service colleague, J. Gordon ...

By: Robert Avsec, Executive Fire Officer CFD Recruit School #12. That’s me, front and center holding the helmet. On my first day as a new firefighter graduate of Chesterfield Fire Department’s Recruit School #12—now the Chesterfield Fire and EMS Department—I reported to Fire Station #11 for my first tour of duty August 3rd, 1982. After we completed the daily checks ...

The First Responder Behavioral Health Institute (FRBHI) is a pioneering organization dedicated to addressing the mental health needs of first responders. Established in 2022 by Joseph Brigandi, a retired fire captain/paramedic who became a licensed professional counselor and psychotherapistat the Counseling Center of Texas, FRBHI aims to provide education, training, and support to ensure the psychological well-being of first responders, be they law enforcement officers, firefighters, or EMS personnel. Today, Brigandi serves as the Clinical Program Director for FRBHI.

From the battlefields of ancient Greece to modern war zones and fire grounds, society has been on an evolving journey, attempting to grasp the true nature of psychological wounds.