Introduction Although research on leadership has privileged its effect on performance, there is also some empirical evidence that leadership can have a beneficial effect on the well-being of subordinates. The analysis of this effect in professions with high demands that can affect stress and well-being, as is the case with firefighters, is especially relevant.

Objectives In this study based on the theory of transformational leadership, we considered that with this leadership style, subordinates had more resources to face the situations of high demands that characterize their profession. In this way, we analyzed the effect of leadership on well-being, namely exhaustion and flourishing.

Method With a sample of 90 firefighters from emergency intervention teams, in T1 we assessed transformational leadership and in T2, about 3–4 weeks later we assessed well-being. In this period, we recorded the daily number of critical incidents in which each firefighter intervened.

Results The results obtained allowed us to observe that the different dimensions of transformational leadership were significant predictors of both exhaustion and flourishing and this effect occurred after controlling for the number of critical incidents.

Conclusion There must be tools that invest in the development of transformational leadership skills of the heads of firefighters, in order to promote a healthy work context for these professionals.