Emergency rescuers are at high risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to frequent exposure to traumatic scenes. This article reviewed the incidence rates of PTSD among various categories of emergency rescuers, outlined the theories of PTSD development and progression from a cognitive model perspective, described the characteristics of post-traumatic cognition in this population and its relationship with PTSD, summarized intervention strategies targeting negative post-traumatic cognitions, and proposed future research directions. Implementing PTSD prevention and treatment based on post-traumatic cognition is both theoretically sound and practically feasible.