Halfway There, Halfway For Health!
The 2026 Healthiest Fire Department Challenge reaches the halfway point.
[LIBERTY, NY] The Sullivan 180 Healthiest Fire Department Challenge is a health and wellness competition for Sullivan County fire departments that encourages a focus on physical, nutritional and mental health. These activities promote healthy lifestyles while supporting the firefighting community. Departments earn “turtle points” for completing health-focused activities, workouts and trainings. At the end of the Challenge, turtle points make departments eligible for grant funding and awards,
“Every day, these departments respond to emergencies across Sullivan County. Being ready to serve their communities starts with taking care of themselves, and their progress has been inspiring to watch,” said Nicole Blais, Sullivan 180 Outreach Coordinator. “Now at the halfway point in the Challenge, departments are working hard, working together and getting healthy.”
Jeffersonville Fire Department has been getting healthy in the kitchen. The department cooks a homemade, healthy meal on drill nights; past recipes include honey-roasted carrots and parsnips, vegetable lasagna, colorful fruit salads and vegetable egg rolls. Challenge Captains Ross Turner, Camille O’Brien and John Toogood also hosted a Challenge Captain meeting, taking the lead to talk about their successes and challenges as a department participating for all four years, and guiding a “Crust & Create” activity where each Challenge Captain made a healthy cauliflower crust pizza packed with vegetables for dinner.
Kauneonga Lake Fire Department, second-place winners of the 2025 Healthiest Fire Department Challenge, continues to place a strong emphasis on health. Despite not being eligible for first or second place this year, creative Challenge Captains Katrina Blais and Moshe Angyalfi have set up fun activities for members, including winter hikes in the Smallwood Forest Reserve, nature bingo, air consumption exercise circuits, “fast-paced, action-packed and laughter-filled” pickleball, and an Easter egg hunt. The department also hosts yoga classes and workouts for members and is getting ready to host this month’s Challenge Captain meeting.
Livingston Manor Fire Department has placed a strong focus on first responder mental health through debriefs after calls. It is important to check in with fellow firefighters, helping break the mental health stigma in the firehouse. Led by Challenge Captain George Dolce, the department also gives back to the community, regularly taking walks to fill the Livingston Manor Little Free Pantry. Livingston Manor also invited Sullivan 180 to the firehouse to walk through the new point stacking model, which encourages earning points through multiple activities in a short period of time focused on physical, nutritional and mental health. Members played a Simon Says exercise game (physical health), had healthy snacks (nutritional health), and shared one good thing that happened that day (mental health).
Monticello Fire Department, led by Challenge Captain Jose Mora, take group walks, stretches, works out and stays hydrated each time they meet, building easy, healthy and sustainable habits to carry them through the Challenge and beyond.
Narrowsburg-Lava Fire Department has also been getting healthy in the kitchen, but on the sweet side, baking healthy homemade desserts for members to enjoy. Each week, Challenge Captain Brenton Smith has made peanut butter protein bars with oats, peanut butter, chia seeds and honey, homemade fruit bars with fresh raspberry jam or blueberry chia seed jam, and other healthy (and delicious) desserts to try.
Smallwood Mongaup-Valley Fire Department has been holding the lead since week one of the Challenge. 2025 Challenge Captain of the Year Becca Wood is leading her department in a healthy direction with monthly blood pressure and weight checks, making members proud to see “the numbers changing for the better,” Wood said. Members often take walks around the lake, work out and enjoy healthy snacks like watermelon, white chicken chili, hummus and spinach orzo salad. They also enjoyed skiing over the winter months, attended health and wellness classes at the Richard A. Martinkovic Public Safety Training Center, and are preparing to welcome departments from across the county to their third annual Kickball Tournament.
Swan Lake Fire Department has been climbing its way up the leaderboard in its first year of the Healthiest Fire Department Challenge. As a new Challenge participant, Challenge Captains Brandon and Chris Golzak are inspiring members of their department to focus on physical, nutritional and mental health with healthy recipes and snack taste tests, updating their health board to offer resources and information, and hosting Kauneonga Lake and Smallwood-Mongaup Valley Fire Departments for a Mystery Point Pop-Up Board Game Night in April.
White Lake Fire Department has shown its competitive side this Challenge year. With push-up challenges between members and other departments, workout nights, and training for upcoming community races, including the Spartan 5K at Bethel Woods, Challenge Captains Brendan and Josh Cunningham are here to win.
The Challenge ends Sept. 1, and winners will be announced at the Sullivan County Volunteer Firefighters Parade in Grahamsville on Sept. 12. Keep following along to see who will be the winners of the 2026 Healthiest Fire Department Challenge.
It is never too late to join the 2026 Healthiest Fire Department Challenge! Reach out to Nicole Blais at Nicole@Sullivan180.org to sign up or learn more.