About · Mission & Vision
From the lab
to the station.
Science to the Station is a national nonprofit program that turns firefighter and EMS health research into free, plain-language resources, connects responders with the researchers who study them, and brings everyone together at an annual conference.
Why it matters
Researchers keep learning what protects firefighters and EMS personnel, but most of it stays in journals responders never read. We put it in plain language and free tools, and we connect the people doing the science with the people living it.
- ~500Registered at our 2025 conference
- 4,000+Subscribers to Sara's newsletter
- 80+Free guides, infographics, videos and study summaries
- 9Workgroups connecting responders and researchers
Our story
Dr. Sara Jahnke has spent her career studying the health of firefighters and EMS personnel. She saw the same problem again and again: the research was getting better, but it wasn't reaching the people it was about. Studies landed in academic journals, behind paywalls and written for other scientists, while the crews they could help never saw them.
In 2021 she started Science to the Station to fix that, with a simple idea: put researchers and responders in the same room, translate the science into language that works at the kitchen table, and let practice shape the next round of research.
Today Science to the Station is a program of Science Alliance Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit registered in Kansas, alongside ResponderStrong and the National Center for Disaster Responder Wellness.
- 2021Science to the Station starts.
- 2023The first Science to the Station conference, St. Pete Beach, Florida.
- 2024The conference moves to the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland.
- 2025Loveland, Colorado, with nearly 500 registered.
- 2026Kansas City, Missouri.
“We've done a sh*tty job translating science to practice.”
Our mission
To foster collaboration and communication between subject matter experts and frontline firefighting & EMS personnel, translating and disseminating evidence-informed health, wellness, and safety education and interventions.
We do this by creating resources, facilitating dialogue, and building alliances that make research accessible and actionable for firefighters and EMS professionals nationwide.
Our vision
To become the nation's go-to resource where practice shapes research, research drives practice, and responders thrive because of it.
We envision a future where every firefighter and EMS provider has access to science-backed tools and strategies that protect their health, extend their careers, and improve their quality of life.
Who we serve
Science you can use,
from people who get the job.
Firefighters & EMS personnel
Answers you can use on shift
Plain-language research on the things that affect your health and career, from cancer and heart health to sleep, fitness and behavioral health. Written for the station, not the journal.
Find the science >Chiefs, officers & departments
Evidence behind your decisions
Guides, toolkits and study summaries you can put into a policy, a budget request or a wellness program, plus a network of experts to call when you need one.
Browse guides & toolkits >Researchers & clinicians
A direct line to the field
Connect with the firefighters and EMS personnel your work is about: study partners, honest feedback, help with recruitment, and a way to get your findings into practice.
Join a workgroup or an alliance >Funders & partners
The last mile of research
Studies only protect people when they reach them. Your support moves published findings into the stations, policies and habits where they make a difference.
Fund the science >What we do
01 · We translate
Research you can actually read
We take studies, from the latest findings to the classics that still hold up, and turn them into short summaries, one-pagers, graphics and guides written for the station, and we run studies of our own with firefighters and EMS personnel.
02 · We connect
Responders and researchers, together
Workgroups, alliances, speakers and a newsletter link the people doing the science with the people it's about, all year long.
03 · We convene
One room, once a year
The Science to the Station conference puts researchers, clinicians, firefighters and EMS personnel in the same room to share what works.
Your health & safety deserve more than a hunch.
Guiding principles
We're here to lend our expertise to move public safety forward.
Science leads
We always let science and data lead as the foundation of practice and policy.
Facts over opinions
We keep personal opinions separate from official positions.
Don't be a jerk
One simple standard: respect people and dialogue.
Why fund our work?
Research only protects people when it reaches them. Your support pays for the work in between.