Episode #14
What First Responder Research Really Tells Us
What happens when science meets the firehouse? In Episode 14 of Kitchen Table Talk , Michael Long and Nick Robben sit down with Brittany Hollerbach, Associate Scientist and Deputy Director with the Center for Fire, Rescue, and EMS Health Research, to talk about the research shaping what we know about first responder health—and why that research needs to make its way out of academic journals and into the station. Brittany shares her journey from firefighter to researcher and discusses the work being done to better understand firefighter and EMS health, including sleep, cardiovascular health, occupational exposures, reproductive health, and mental wellness. The conversation also tackles a bigger question: How do we get first responders to actually listen to and use the information researchers are discovering? Together, they explore why firefighters often trust lived experience over credentials, the importance of combining firefighter stories with evidence-based research, and how organizations like Science to the Station are working to translate complex research into information that departments and individual first responders can actually understand and apply. The conversation goes beyond research, touching on mental health, family relationships, sleep deprivation, organizational policies, return-to-duty decisions, employee assistance programs, and the need to treat mental injuries with the same seriousness as physical injuries. This episode is a reminder that there isn't always a simple black-and-white answer when it comes to first responder wellness. Better outcomes require research, lived experience, education, supportive policies, families, clinicians, and departments working together. Because the research doesn't matter if it never reaches the people who need it. Grab a cup, take a seat, and join us at the table.
