Webinar Overview & Objectives
The very beginning of a fire fighter’s career is a period that offers a unique opportunity to influence future behaviors on and off the fire ground. Even before formally beginning recruit school, a candidate is forming a sense of how things are done, what is acceptable, or not, and the things that define the culture and expectations of the organization they are trying to join. By investing in health- and wellness-related initiatives and activities during this period, departments can shape the present and future behaviors of their workforce to pursue the health and fitness outcomes that matter. This is especially critical for establishing resilient physical activity habits, movement awareness and proficiency when exercising, and a knowledge and skill base to develop and maintain fitness beyond recruit school. Simply having “PT” during recruit school, or offering an exercise program to pre-recruits, won’t necessarily achieve these objectives. The way exercise sessions are designed and coached is critical, as is the culture around physical activity in the department.
In this webinar we will sit down with Mike Meadors (PFT, Captain at Surprise Fire-Medical Department, and Trustee with IAFF Local 493, Surprise Chapter), James Zamora (PFT, Captain at Surprise Fire-Medical Department, and Trustee with IAFF Local 493, Surprise Chapter), and Luis Caballero (PFT, Captain at Surprise Fire-Medical Department, and Trustee with IAFF Local 493, Surprise Chapter) to discuss how they and their fellow PFTs are engaging with cadets, pre-recruits and recruits to deliver exercise programming, education, and orient them to Surprise’s culture, which values and supports the cultivation of a physically active lifestyle. The aim of this webinar is to outline the program activities the PFT team leads for cadets, pre-recruits and recruits and provide insight into how they were initiated and implemented from their genesis to the present day. In doing so, our goal is to provide attendees insight into a different method of integrating PFTs into a department’s operations, as well as implementation take-aways for those interested in pursuing a similar approach.
This webinar will be hosted on Wednesday, September 9th, 2026, at 1:00 PM, ET.
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Featured Panelists
Mike Meadors
Mike is a member of the Surprise Fire-Medical Department, in Arizona, where he serves as a ladder Captain at station 305. He has been with the department since 2011, and is a member of United Pheonix Fire Fighters Association, IAFF Local 493. He is also the department’s Peer Fitness Coordinator, a role he has held for over a decade. In this role, he is responsible for managing and overseeing a team of Peer Fitness Trainers (PFTs), as well as assisting in the physical preparation of recruits at the fire academy. Mike is very active in the department outside of these roles, holding the positions of Hiring Co-Chair, Charities Trustee, and Union Trustee, as well as serving on the Training Committee. He joined the PFT instructor cadre in 2020, and continues to enjoy growing as an instructor and learning more about the new Fit to Thrive (F2T) program. Fitness and nutrition are things that Mike is very passionate about, so he truly relishes the ability to teach and instruct his fellow fire fighters on these topics. The thing that he enjoys most about working with fire fighters is attending to the challenges inherent to addressing the fitness and wellness needs of individuals working in such a dynamic, multi-dimensional environment. Mike finds confronting these challenges stimulating, rewarding, and fun!
Luis Caballero
Luis Caballero is a Fire Captain with Surprise Fire-Medical Department, where he has served since 2011. Throughout his career, he has held a variety of operational and leadership roles, progressing from firefighter to engineer and now Captain, while also serving as a paramedic, Haz-mat Tech, Wildland Firefighter and contributing to member-focused initiatives. Luis has been involved with his department’s Peer Fitness program since 2013 and currently serves as Labor Co-Chair of the Health, Wellness and Safety Committee. He is passionate about creating a culture of wellness that goes beyond being fit for the job. For Luis, fitness is a lifestyle that helps firefighters perform throughout their careers, stay healthy beyond them, and fully enjoy the retirement they worked so hard to reach. Outside the firehouse, Luis and his wife enjoy an active, outdoor lifestyle on their small homestead in the Arizona mountains.
James Zamora
Bio coming soon!
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