Let’s be honest: firefighters don’t exactly love the idea of rehab. But we are largely to blame...
When the tones drop, they’re ready to roll, not sit in a chair and sip on water while their crew handles the chaos without them. It feels like rehab is pulling them away FROM the fight, not keeping them IN the fight. But here’s the truth: if you follow the 4 Es, you can actually get firefighters to want to go to rehab and even advocate for it.
That’s right. Want to flip the script on rehab? You have to hit all four Es. Miss one, and the system fails. Let’s break it down.
1. Effective
First thing's first, rehab has to actually do something. Firefighter rehabilitation isn’t just about hydration and shade, it’s a strategic tool for medical evaluation. That means every firefighter goes in, gets checked, and is judged by an objective set of criteria to screen out cardiac and other medical issues; either they're cleared to go back or taken for treatment. No guesswork. No grey areas.
A truly effective rehab system also ensures every member is always accounted for, their vitals are tracked, and their condition dictates the next move. If it’s not effective, it’s not rehab. It's just a break.
2. Efficient
Now let’s talk speed. If rehab takes too long, it becomes the enemy. Firefighters are mission-focused so they don’t want to feel like they’re wasting time. That’s where efficiency comes in.
Rehab should be streamlined and seamless. EMTs should know exactly what to do, when, and with what tools. There should be clear protocols for triage, monitoring, and documentation which doesn’t happen by accident... It requires a rehab system like WearARMR that’s been trained, equipped, and proven.
Too often, rehab is treated like an afterthought. If your department doesn’t have a true system in place—modular, mobile, idiot-proof—then firefighters are right to resist it. They know when something is just checking a box. Efficiency shows them you respect their time and their safety.
3. Educate
Education is your secret weapon. Firefighters may be brave, but they’re not reckless. They need to know why rehab matters—beyond “take a break and drink some water.”
Let’s start with the uncomfortable fact: the leading cause of firefighter deaths isn’t burns or trauma, it’s cardiac events. When you explain how rehab helps monitor signs of heat stress, overexertion, and dehydration (all precursors to cardiac incidents) so they can return home to their families that night, you’ll find firefighters start paying attention.
When you educate them not just on the risks but on the system (what to expect, what’s being tracked, and how it helps) they begin to see rehab differently. It's not a timeout, we're not holding them there on some power trip... It’s a tool to keep them in the fight longer, healthier, and smarter.
4. Enforce
This is where it gets uncomfortable, but necessary. If you’re not willing to enforce rehab, none of the above matters.
That means you hold the line: no rehab, no return to the fireground. Period. Not because it’s punitive, but because skipping rehab isn’t just risky for that individual, it’s dangerous for the entire team. A firefighter who skips rehab and collapses later is a liability, not a hero.
You enforce rehab because you value every firefighter's life, including the ones who would run into the fire ten times over before checking their vitals. You do it because you have their backs, even when they don't have their own.