Lt. David Dachinger (Ret.)

David Dachinger (Ret.)

Producer/Host
Responder Resilience / Mind Health Media, LLC
Fleming Island, FL
David Dachinger is a retired Fire Lieutenant/EMT who has dedicated over 21 years to leading emergency services. As a company officer, he often held critical roles such as Shift Commander and Incident Commander. Today, David hosts the podcasts "Responder Resilience" and "Igniting The Shift Within," where he engages with experts on first responder mental wellness, leadership, retirement, and post-traumatic growth. David also serves as a peer coach for 22Zero (https://22zero.org/), continuing his commitment to supporting first responders. David's journey as a stage IV cancer survivor since 2014 has fueled his passion for advocating firefighter wellness. He is the co-author of the bestselling books "Helping the Helpers-The Clinician's Guide to First Responder Mental Wellness" and "Live Calm With Cancer (...and Beyond)." A two-time Grammy Award® nominee, David's career in the music industry saw him collaborate with legendary artists like Roberta Flack, Usher, Celine Dion, and The Isley Brothers as a mixing engineer and producer.

First Responder Retirement: Navigating Life 2.0 (Thursday, October 22, 2026 - 4:00-5:15pm)

This presentation, recently presented at the First Responder Project Summit and 2nd Alarm Project Summit, features clips from the Responder Resilience podcast documentary “Responder Retirement: Navigating Life 2.0.” The clips provide diverse experiences and insights from law enforcement, fire service, EMS, and financial advisory professionals. This interactive presentation is designed to prepare first responders for the complex challenges of retirement. Key topics include transitioning out of the job, effective retirement planning, and developing a comprehensive plan. The session will also address unexpected retirement, financial considerations, and the challenges of identity loss and emotional adjustment. Participants will develop strategies for maintaining resilience and finding new purpose after retirement through a 10-step retirement pre-plan worksheet. Designed to transform your perspective on retirement, this session encourages discussion, shared experiences, and increased situational awareness, allowing attendees to explore retirement through a different lens. Rather than feeling overwhelmed by the transition, participants will leave with a proactive approach and practical tools to help navigate retirement with confidence.