Our
Research.
Studies led by the Science to the Station research team: what we asked, what we found, and what came out of them.
Below: partner studies recruiting firefighters right now, our completed projects, and our publications. Looking for something to download and use? See Guides & Toolkits.
Take part now
Studies from our research partners that are recruiting firefighters. Each one is run by the university listed, and your answers go to their team.
Recruiting
Firefighters & Brain Injury
Researchers at Thomas Jefferson University are studying how common traumatic brain injury (TBI) and concussion are among firefighters.
- Who: Current or former firefighters, 18+, including career, volunteer, part-time, and retired
- What: One anonymous online survey, about 10-15 minutes
- Lead: Katherine Hunzinger, PhD, Thomas Jefferson University
Recruiting
Firefighter Hydration
The Oklahoma State University Tactical Fitness and Nutrition Lab is interviewing firefighters to better understand hydration practices and what influences fluid intake.
- Who: Firefighters
- What: A one-on-one interview. Leave your email and the team will reach out within 5 business days to schedule.
- Questions: savanah.j.gideon@okstate.edu
Our projects
Studies our team led, including our work as the Center for Fire, Rescue & EMS Health Research. Each one is complete. Click through for what we found and what came out of it.
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Completed · Cancer prevention
Cancer Prevention & Early Detection
CFREHR's partnership with the Firefighter Cancer Support Network and DetecTogether on a cancer prevention initiative, sponsored by the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program.
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Completed · Women in the fire service
Fire Camps
With Women in Fire and FEMA FP&S funding, a novel examination of firefighter camps for girls and young women across North America.
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Completed · Heart health
BETTER HEART
Evidence-based guidelines for detecting cardiovascular disease in firefighters.
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Completed · Wellness
Wellness Fitness Initiative
A FEMA-funded review of the Wellness Fitness Initiative and what helps departments build successful wellness and fitness programs.
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Completed · Reproductive health
UIS & Reproductive Health
Translation and dissemination of evidence-based educational content and training on reproductive health for the fire service.
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Completed · Peer support
Women's Stress Intervention
Virtual peer support for women in the fire service, built from interviews with women firefighters: a "virtual kitchen table." Sessions ran in 2022, and the resources are still available.
Resources >
Journey of a study
From question to station.
Good research takes years, and each step is there to make the answer trustworthy. Here is the real timeline of one study our team helped run: a 4-day treatment program for PTSD, insomnia and nightmares in firefighters.
First, guess: how long from registering this trial to publishing it?
Drag along the timeline or press play. Dots sit on the real dates. Analysis and peer review both happened in 2025; their exact dates aren't published, so those two dots are placed by estimate.
Before 2023
A question from the field
Firefighters often live with PTSD, insomnia and nightmares at the same time, and shift schedules make months of weekly therapy hard to finish. Could one short program, built for fire service culture, treat all three?
Why it takes timeResearchers first check what is already known, build a team and line up support before a study can start.
June 2023
Plan it and get it approved
The team planned a pilot randomized trial of about 50 firefighters: half would start treatment right away, half after a 2 to 4 week wait. The trial was registered publicly on ClinicalTrials.gov in June 2023.
Why it takes timeAny study with people needs ethics board approval before it starts, to protect the people who take part.
From December 2023
Recruit the crews
Enrollment opened in December 2023, and 49 firefighters joined. The 4-day group program ran in Kansas City.
Why it takes timeFinding firefighters who qualify and can fit treatment around their shifts takes months. The published paper notes logistics slowed enrollment.
December 2023 to January 2025
Collect the data
Each firefighter had a clinical interview before treatment and one month after, plus surveys through three months after. Data collection finished in January 2025.
Why it takes timeFollow-ups show whether the benefits last, so the clock keeps running for months after the last session.
2025
Analyze the results
The team compared firefighters who started right away with those still waiting. That comparison is what shows the program made the difference, not just the passing of time.
Why it takes timeCleaning the data and running the right tests carefully is slow work, and it has to be done before anyone draws conclusions.
2025
Peer review
The write-up went to a journal, where outside scientists critiqued it and the authors responded before it could be accepted.
Why it takes timeReviews and revisions can go back and forth more than once. It is the check that catches problems before a study is published.
January 19, 2026
Published
The study was published in Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, about a year after the last data came in.
Why it mattersPublication puts the methods and results on the record, so anyone can check the work.
March 2026
Back to the station
Science to the Station turned the paper into a Breaking Science for the station, about two months after the paper came out.
Why it mattersMost firefighters will never read a journal article. Translation is the step that gets findings to the people they are about.
What comes next: a pilot is a first step. It shows a program is workable and worth testing in a larger trial. Want to judge studies like this yourself? Read How to Read Research.
Sources: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05950035 (registration, start and completion dates, enrollment); McLean et al. (2026), doi:10.1037/tra0002090.
From our team
Peer-reviewed work since 2023 with Science to the Station researchers Sara Jahnke, Brittany Hollerbach and Chris Haddock as authors, newest first. Names in bold are our team.
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Koeppel MDH, Shlansky B, Jitnarin N, Haddock CK, Jahnke SA (2026). The Role of Alcohol in EMS Culture: Perspectives from Frontline Providers. Occupational Health.
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Asesi DB, MacDermid JC, Osifeso TA, Bromhead RC, Jackson K, Jahnke SA (2026). "Career comes at a cost:" exploring work-related reproductive health concerns of Canadian female firefighters. Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare.
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Hollerbach BS, Ridenour S, Sutherland C, Koeppel MDH, Jitnarin N, Valenti M, et al. (includes Jahnke SA) (2026). "Left Out at the Kitchen Table": Exploring Peer Support Needs Among Women Firefighters. American Journal of Industrial Medicine.
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Liu T, Hollister J, Kern KJ, Valenti M, Beitel SC, Gulotta JJ, et al. (includes Jahnke SA) (2026). Differential metabolic profiles by training fire exposure in female firefighters. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health.
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McLean CP, Jahnke S, Pruiksma KE, Taylor DJ, Sloan DM, Dietch JR, et al. (includes Hollerbach B, Haddock CK) (2026). A pilot feasibility randomized clinical trial of a culturally adapted accelerated group treatment for posttraumatic stress, insomnia, and nightmares in firefighters. Psychological Trauma.
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Billings JM, Jahnke SA (2025). Effects of a 24/48 to 48/96 Shift Schedule Change on Firefighter Sleep and Health: Short-Term Improvements and Six-Month Stability. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
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Jung AM, Jahnke SA, Dennis LK, Bell ML, Burgess JL, Farland LV (2025). Infertility burden among women firefighters: a cross-sectional exploratory analysis. Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
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Shah NN, Jahnke SA, Hollerbach BS, Edwards DL, Roy J, Wackowski OA, et al. (2025). A cross-sectional assessment of the individual- and fire department-level factors affecting volunteer firefighter cardiorespiratory fitness. Fire.
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Hollerbach BS, Hutchinson H, Sutherland C, Koeppel MDH, Jahnke SA (2025). Firefighter Perceptions of COVID-19 Mitigation Strategies and Messaging. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
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Suminski RR, Jahnke SA, Jitnarin N, Kaipust C, Haddock CK, Poston WSC (2025). Illicit Prescription Opioid Use Among U.S. Firefighters. Fire.
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Valenti MA, Farland LV, Huang K, Liu Y, Beitel SC, Jahnke SA, et al. (includes Hollerbach B) (2024). Evaluating the Effect of Depression, Anxiety, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder on Anti-Müllerian Hormone Levels Among Women Firefighters. Journal of Women's Health.
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Hollerbach BS, Jitnarin N, Koeppel MDH, Valenti M, Beitel S, Goodrich JM, et al. (includes Jahnke SA) (2024). Examination of Stress Among Recruit and Incumbent Women Firefighters. Safety and Health At Work.
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Shah NN, Wackowski OA, Jahnke SA, Roy J, Hollerbach BS, Edwards DL, et al. (2024). Firefighter- and Fire Department-Level Barriers and Promoters of Physical Activity and Fitness Among Volunteer Firefighters: A Qualitative Study Using Semistructured Interviews. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
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Bonner EM, Poutasse CM, Haddock CK, Poston WSC, Jahnke SA, Tidwell LG, et al. (2024). Addressing the need for individual-level exposure monitoring for firefighters using silicone samplers. Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology.
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Shah NN, Steinberg MB, Calkins MM, Caban-Martinez AJ, Burgess JL, Austin E, et al. (includes Hollerbach BS) (2024). Prevalence and predictors of colon and prostate cancer screening among volunteer firefighters: The United States Firefighter Cancer Assessment and Prevention Study. American Journal of Industrial Medicine.
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Jahnke SA, Jitnarin N, Haddock CK, Kaipust C, Poston WSC, Hollerbach BS, et al. (2024). Meta-Analysis of Incidence and Mortality of Firefighter Cancer: An Update on Emerging Science. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention.
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Graber JM, Shah NN, Berezniak JG, Black TM, Black K, Lu SE, et al. (includes Jahnke SA) (2024). Cancer-Related Behavioral Risk Factors Among Volunteer and Career Firefighters Enrolled in the Cancer Assessment and Prevention Study (CAPS) and the Fire Fighter Cancer Cohort Study (FFCCS). International Fire Service Journal of Leadership and Management.
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Billings JM, Jahnke SA, Haddock CK (2024). Daily variation in sleepiness among firefighters while working the 24/48 and 48/96 shift schedules. Safety Science.
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Jahnke SA, Watson P, Leto F, Jitnarin N, Kaipust CM, Hollerbach BS, et al. (includes Haddock CK) (2023). Evaluation of the Implementation of the NFFF Stress First Aid Intervention in Career Fire Departments: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.