As a fire chief in Northern California, nothing is more important than the mental wellness of our firefighters. When we learned the greatest source of line-of-duty death is now suicide, it became critical for us to train on mental health just as we do for fighting fires, vehicle extrications, etc. Sue Farren is a phenomenal speaker who totally captivated our firefighters. We now have peer support trained firefighters (picked by our firefighters), a public safety/mental health trained therapist, and sending firefighters to retreats to further improve our internal capabilities. A Stress Continuum chart is posted throughout the fire station sharing resources based on one's level of stress. Couldn't have done it without them!
I had been a first responder for nearly 30 years and have seen many things over my career. I never realized how much I had been impacted by the work I did. First Responders Resiliency helped me to see how cumulative stress and trauma had impacted me on a personal and physiological level. This program offers experienced instructors, research, and modalities that can be applied to every day life. Lives and family relationships are being saved with this wonderful program!