The Minnesota fire service community will gather at Grand Casino Mille Lacs in Onamia, MN on Jan. 23-24 for in-depth health and wellness training at MnFIRE’s 2026 Firefighter Health Forum.

The 2026 Firefighter Health Forum will bring together health and wellness leaders to share informative tips and resources to help protect and empower firefighters – and their families – both on duty and at home. Last year, nearly 90% of attendees who took a post-event survey said they’d recommend future Firefighter Health Forums to others.

This year’s presenters include exciting and popular speakers like Aaron Zamzow and Dr. Margaret Gavian. Dr. Gavian will address holistic health in the fire service, and connect the dots between physical health, emotional stress and the work you love – so you can keep showing up without burning out. Zamzow is a Firefighter/EMT, certified personal trainer and founder of Fire Rescue Fitness. His sessions will focus on igniting a healthy and fit culture in your department and building resiliency with EMS and a dose of reality.

In addition to these sessions for all attendees, there is a deep dive track for firefighters, and a separate one for their partners and spouses.

For firefighters

Learn from industry-leading doctors, mental health professionals, trainers and fire service colleagues about the latest strategies for protecting and strengthening your physical and mental health in the fire service. We’ll have sessions exploring heart health, nutrition, cancer, sleep and more. Speakers include MnFIRE Medical Director Dr. Zeke McKinney and Megan Lautz, award-winning registered dietician and owner of RescueRD, which provides custom nutrition for fire departments nationwide.

For families

Firefighter spouses and partners will also enjoy a session specifically designed for them – focusing on strategies for supporting firefighter loved ones, identifying signs of concern, how trauma can affect the whole family and open communication around mental health.

Become a peer supporter

Peer supporter training will also be offered on site at the Firefighter Health Forum this year. Help your fellow firefighters as they navigate stress on the job and at home – join the MnFIRE Peer Support team! Training at the Forum includes Critical Incident Stress Management training and MnFIRE Peer Support-specific training (NOTE: peer supporters must also complete Applied Suicide Intervention Skills training to fulfill our training requirements and start working with peers). For details on how to register for this separate peer supporter track, please visit the event overview.

Register to attend

To register for the 2026 Firefighter Health Forum, visit Eventbrite.

The Minnesota fire service community recently gathered at Grand Casino Mille Lacs in Onamia for a full day of inspiring and hands-on health and wellness training at our 2025 Firefighter Health Forum.

The goal of the event was to share expertise, informative tips and resources to help protect and empower firefighters – and their families – in their professional and personal lives. Firefighters, their partners and spouses, and MnFIRE peer supporters were all immersed in the forum sessions together.

The year’s keynote speaker Ali Rothrock, a first responder mental health advocate, crisis counselor and author, helped set the tone for the day by talking about fostering resilience on and off the job. She reflected on some traumatic experiences early in her career and how they’ve impacted where she is today.

In a post-event survey, one attendee shared, “I found Ali incredibly helpful, insightful and relatable. The way she was able to talk about trauma in a way that everyone could understand was fantastic.”

In other breakout sessions, attendees learned about fitness and nutrition, first responder safety and self-defense, cardiovascular health, optimizing sleep habits, and suicide prevention – all based on the demands of the fire service, and the occupational health risks facing firefighters every day.

The movement sessions were a hit, particularly an interactive mobility session led by Blake Christenson of Iron Maltese Athletics with him modeling proper hip and shoulder movements to help firefighters reduce their risk of injury on the job. A few attendees walked away excited to bring this simple warm-up routine back to their departments.

At lunch during the forum, Monte Fronk, Head of Tribal Emergency Management for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, presented Garrison Fire and Rescue Captain and MnFIRE peer supporter Jen Elleraas with a special gift. Garrison Fire and Rescue is a volunteer fire department and the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe – one of 11 federally recognized tribes in Minnesota – is one of the largest communities they serve.

Under Jen’s leadership, the department has worked to improve its communications and outreach, including participating in the annual Mille Lacs Band fire prevention/safety day at the tribal schools on the reservation and assisting Monte with already established NFPA 1300 community risk reduction efforts. Jen was recently recognized as the 2024 MSFCA Fire Officer of the Year for populations under 10,000. But to personally thank Jen and show his appreciation, Monte gave her a traditional gift of a blanket that recognizes her passion and efforts to improve safety for the Mille Lacs Band.

Nearly 90% of attendees who took our post-event survey, said they’d recommend future MnFIRE Firefighter Health Forums to others.

Thank you to all the incredible presenters and attendees who made this such an impactful and memorable event! We are so grateful for our fire service community.

Interested in bringing this kind of training to your department? MnFIRE’s no-cost trainings through the state’s Hometown Heroes Assistance Program provide crucial information about health and wellness topics impacting those in the fire service, such as cardiovascular health, emotional wellness, cancer, sleep, fitness and nutrition. Learn more and register your department for a training here.

The 2023 MnFORE Golf Tournament presented by Aon was another beautiful day on the links! We’re so thankful to all of the golfers, volunteers and generous sponsors who joined us at Bearpath Golf & Country Club in the name of Minnesota firefighter health and wellness.

The funds raised at MnFORE will help MnFIRE continue to provide critical support and resources to Minnesota’s firefighters so they can live longer, healthier and happier lives. This is all thanks to your generosity! On behalf of Minnesota’s fire service, we thank you.

Enjoy browsing our photos from the event on MnFIRE’s Facebook page.

Learn more about all MnFIRE does for Minnesota’s fire service through advocacy, awareness, training and support here. If you would like to make a contribution to MnFIRE, please visit our donate page.

 

Stay tuned for details on the 2024 MnFORE Golf Tournament!

Interested in sponsoring in 2024? Contact DeeDee Jankovich at djankovich@mnfireinitiative.com.