The Recharge Room will be a ‘game changer’ for first responders, founder hopes
He was a serial entrepreneur for most of his adult life, always in the health and wellness arena.
But when Rich Ganely was approached by the Town of Gilbert for advice on how to improve health and wellness benefits for employees, especially first responders, Ganely found himself in a new niche of the space he had known so well.
His research unearthed startling statistics regarding the men and women charged with being the first on what is usually a dire scene: Shorter lifespan, higher rates of PTSD, increased risk of suicide due to PTSD and higher cancer rates due to the hazards of the job, especially in firefighters.
“My heart broke open,” Ganley said. “I wanted to help.”
First responders need help
Positive Impact Alliance is Ganley’s way of helping to rescue those who rescue us. Ganley started his Gilbert-based company in 2022. Its main product is the Recharge Room, which offers a combination of therapies in a 33-minute circuit that addresses the high levels of stress, trauma and physical demands that come with being a firefighter, police officer, paramedic and other first responders.
The goal, Ganley said, is to counteract the toll these take on their mental, physical and emotional health. While working on a previous project, Ganley studied three therapies - red light, infrared sauna and cold plunge - and knew their benefits on professional athletes. He came up with the idea to put them together.
“Each of them alone had proven benefits for conditions first responders face,” Ganley said. “All of these modalities have been used for elite athletes but no one has brought them to first responders.”
Cellular health, inflammation reduction, mood elevation, improvements in cardiac function, better sleep, reduced muscle soreness, stress relief and boost in energy are among the benefits that have been proven in peer review studies, he said.
Scientists, doctors, psychologists and other healthcare professionals and business leaders provided input to develop the Recharge Room.
Recharge Room 'a miracle'
The first three rooms are located in Gilbert in a fire station, police department substation and the Gilbert Public Safety Training Facility. Currently, they are reserved specifically for Gilbert’s first responders.
Ganley said other cities have reached out to him about bringing it to their municipalities as well.
Ganley donates his time and knowledge to get the rooms set up, and provides the training and follow up. Cities purchase the equipment from Positive Impact Alliance, which generates income for the business, Ganley explained.
Ganley recently donated a Recharge Room to The 100 Club of Arizona, which provides assistance and resources to families of first responders who are seriously injured or killed in the line of duty. He is in talks with other nonprofits to do the same.
A mobile version has made its way to Gilbert teachers. The equipment is set up onsite in a classroom and the shorter 15-minute circuit takes place during their prep time.
Ganley talked about receiving nearly 200 testimonials from teachers, including one who was so burned out she thought about retiring early. But after time in the Recharge Room, she felt like she could stay through her 25th year.
He also shared the story of two firefighter captains who are accustomed to smelling like smoke for three days after battling a fire no matter how many showers they take. Going through the Recharge Room after controlled burns, however, they no longer smelled like smoke.
Ganley hopes this could indicate a reduction of toxins over time and, ultimately, cancer rates among firefighters.
“That’s a miracle to me. It could be a game changer for a number of public servants,” Ganley said.
Gilbert police Lieutenant Chris Timmins heads the town’s peer support and wellness for the Gilbert Police Department. He has received feedback from the wide range of first responders ranging from their 20s to 50s, who have used the Recharge Room.
For example: People who suffer from bad knees but now can walk three miles with no problem and those who struggle with sleeping are able to sleep well.
“Police and firefighters are more equipped to handle the stressors of life because they are not in pain,” Timmins said. “We’re hoping that this will move the needle.”
Timmins has used the Recharge Room and experienced the results firsthand.
Ten years ago after hopping a wall while on duty, Timmins ruptured two discs in his back. He underwent spinal fusion surgery but was always in pain.
On the days he used the Recharge Room, Timmins didn’t need to take Advil to be active during the day or sleep at night.
“I felt a lot more relief in my back. It felt amazing,” Timmins said. “I'm also able to handle the stress of my job as well as being a parent of a special needs child.”
Part of the department’s wellness program includes teaching first responders how to be more resilient with the stress they face, how to have healthier lives, eat better and mindfulness on and off the clock, Timmins explained. The Recharge Room has become a key tool in this plan.
“If you’re better at work, you’re better at home. If you’re better at home, you’re better at work. Rich is giving us this gift (of) being a part of taking control of our lives,” Timmins said.
Developing the Recharge Room
Ganley started a number of businesses over his entrepreneurial career, enabling him to retire at 39. His three children were grown and he had others running his various businesses. Ganley was looking for what was next.
“What’s my purpose in life? What can I do to make a difference?” he said of these thoughts a couple of years ago.
When Gilbert Town Manager Patrick Banger reached out to Ganley for ideas to make his health and wellness benefits better for the town’s employees, his new mission was clear.
A mutual friend suggested that Banger meet Ganley, who was doing work with red light therapy and working with professional sports teams and the University of Arizona. After an engaging three-hour meeting, Banger was interested in Ganley’s ideas, which resulted in the Recharge Room.
The Recharge Room is in a six-month pilot program after which its impact will be evaluated and possibly made available to all Town of Gilbert employees in addition to first responders, Banger said.
Banger has heard the same feedback from firefighters not smelling like smoke and other positive effects from first responders. He also likes the fact that Gilbert is at the forefront of technology that could make a huge difference with first responders valleywide and beyond.
“To be on the path of something new and cutting edge is exciting,” Banger said. “It’s exciting to see what it does for us and to help other organizations explore this path as well.”
According to the medical trade publication Psychiatric Times, 30% of first responders will develop a behavioral or mental health problem such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder or a substance abuse problem. In the general population, this statistic is 20%.
Roughly one in three first responders develop PTSD at some point during or after their career, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. In the general population, it’s about one in five people.
According to Kaiser Permanente, 85% of first responders have experienced symptoms related to mental health conditions, 70% of first responders say mental health services are rarely or never utilized, and 57% of first responders fear negative repercussions for seeking help.
The Recharge Room aims to address these concerns in a more discrete and non-stigmatized way.
“Just the gratitude we see and the improvement we can give our first responders… When I see their faces or hear their stories, it makes my heart feel full of joy,” Ganley said. “What makes me most hopeful is we can reduce these terrible statistics and extend their lives. I want to make a difference in those odds and to honor our heroes.”
What: Positive Impact Alliance
Where: Gilbert
Employees: Six
Interesting stat: 30% of first responders will develop a behavioral or mental health problem such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder or a substance abuse problem, according to medical trade publication Psychiatric Times.
Details: 602-432-8178, rechargeroom.io
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: The Recharge Room hoped will be a ‘game changer’ for first responders
