WSESI June Newsletter

PTSD Coverage Expanded for EMS and Volunteer Firefighters

Wisconsin took a major step forward for responder mental health with 2025 Wisconsin Act 145. Gov. Tony Evers signed AB 651 into law on March 30, 2026, expanding PTSD-related worker’s compensation eligibility to include emergency medical responders, EMS practitioners, and volunteer or part-time firefighters. 

(Spectrum News 1/Megan Marshall)

For too long, we have expected responders to absorb the worst calls of other people’s lives and then just keep moving. Wisconsin’s new law does not fix everything, but it does recognize something important: mental health injuries are real injuries.

Instructor takeaway: If we are teaching people how to survive the fireground, the crash scene, the rescue, and the medical call, then we also need to talk about what those calls do afterward. PTSD, cumulative stress, peer support, officer responsibility, and post-incident follow-up belong in our training conversations.

Wausau Voters Support Firefighter/Paramedic Positions

Wausau voters approved a fire department staffing referendum on April 7, 2026, replacing expiring federal grant funding and allowing the city to maintain firefighter-paramedic positions. WSAW reported the referendum adds about $36 per $100,000 of home value, with Fire Chief Jeremy Kopp tying the vote to service demand, response times, care, and overall fire department response capability.

That is a win for public safety.

It is also a reminder that communities are being asked to make direct decisions about staffing, EMS care, fire response, and readiness.

Instructor takeaway: Training helps prove the value of public safety investment. Well-trained, well-led, well-documented responders make it easier for the public to understand that staffing is not extra. It is infrastructure.

June Deadline: EMS and EMS Instructor II Renewal

Wisconsin EMS certifications and licenses expire June 30, 2026. DHS states that EMS Instructor II certification also expires June 30, and instructors must first renew their EMS practitioner license before the Instructor II renewal application becomes available. DHS also states there is no late renewal for EMS Instructor II certification.

Do not wait until the end of the month.

Instructor takeaway: Check your own renewal status. Then check with your training center, department instructors, and course staff. A missed renewal can affect who is allowed to teach, verify skills, and support future classes.

National Watch: Firefighter Safety Stand Down

The 2026 Firefighter Safety Stand Down is June 14–20. This year’s theme is “Firefighter FITNESS: Fit to Serve, Fit for Life.” The focus is on long-term responder health, physical readiness, and sustainable fitness.https://safetystanddown.org/

This should not become another poster on the wall.

Use it to have one honest conversation with your crew: Are we physically prepared for the job we say we are ready to do?

That includes fitness, sleep, nutrition, heat stress, injury prevention, rehab, and return-to-duty expectations.

Instructor takeaway: Fitness is not about looking good in a department shirt. It is about being harder to kill, harder to injure, and better able to serve.

Firefighter Cancer Research: Data Matters

he NIOSH National Firefighter Registry for Cancer has reached 50,000 enrollments, a major milestone in the effort to better understand cancer risk in the fire service.

NIOSH states that all U.S. firefighters can join the registry, including active, former, retired, career, paid-on-call, volunteer, structural, wildland, industrial, military firefighters, instructors, fire investigators, and other fire service members. Firefighters with or without a cancer diagnosis can participate.

There is also a University of North Carolina study looking at cancer-related fatigue among firefighters in remission. The study is open to current or retired U.S. structural firefighters who have had a cancer diagnosis, completed treatment, and are currently in remission. The anonymous survey takes about 15 minutes.https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/firefighters/registry/index.html

 Instructor Development Point: Build the Drill Backward 

Before your next training night, ask one question:

What should the student be able to do at the end?

Not “what slides do I have?”

Not “what topic are we covering?”

Not “what have we always done in June?”

Start with the performance. Then build backward.

A useful drill should include:

1. A clear objective

2. A short safety briefing

3. A quick demonstration

4. Hands-on repetitions

5. Coaching and correction

6. A final skill check

7. A brief after-action discussion

   
   

It does not need to be fancy. It needs to be intentional.

WSESI Business: Help Shape 2027

Planning continues for future WSESI programming and the 66th Annual Conference.

We need strong instructor development, practical hands-on training, and courses that help Wisconsin instructors do the job better.

Possible areas include live fire instruction, NFPA 1403, acquired structure documentation, extrication train-the-trainer, rope rescue train-the-trainer, instructor technology, course development, skill verification, EMS education, and leadership in the classroom.

If you have a course idea, speaker suggestion, committee interest, or a training need from your region, speak up now.

WSESI gets better when members do more than attend. We need members helping build the next version of this organization. Email us at info@wsesi.org

From the Secretary’s Desk

WSESI exists to support the people teaching the next generation of emergency responders in Wisconsin.

That means we need to be useful.

If there is a training gap in your part of the state, tell us. If there is a class that needs to be brought back, tell us. If there is an instructor doing good work who should be recognized, tell us.

The work gets better when more members get involved.

Stay safe, keep teaching, and do the work before the work is needed.