A highly functioning and supported family can directly increase a firefighter’s wellness, their safety on the job, and ultimately increase their chances of completing a long successful career with your department. The firefighter’s stress is exacerbated by family stress. This presentation will outline real life examples of how family support leads to an increase in an agency’s wellness and retention efforts. Best practices on how departments of any size can start supporting the families of their department will be reviewed. Research based recommendations will be provided on how a department of any size can begin or increase their current support for families connected to their department.
