While most Floridians flee natural and man-made disasters, first responders run toward them. They work long hours, witnessing the traumas experienced by others. In Florida, that has included the Surfside condominium collapse, the Pulse night club and Marjory Stoneman Douglas mass shootings, and a long string of hurricanes.
This week the Senate Children and Families Committee heard from the 2nd Alarm Project. The organization’s job is to help firefighters, paramedics and law enforcement officers maintain their mental health.
First responders make up 1.4 percent of Florida’s workforce, but their suicide rate is more than twice that of working-age Floridians. That’s why the 2nd Alarm Project deploys teams to communities where first responders are working: to help them cope with what they’re seeing. The teams include trained first responders who know the job and serve as peer support…along with trained chaplains, clinicians and comfort dogs.
Kellie O’Dare, the founder and leader of the project, spoke to the Senate committee.
“First responders face a unique combination of stressors that impact their mental health, including frequent exposure to potentially traumatic events, personal challenges like relationship and financial pressures, and workplace demands such as long hours and high workloads,” O’Dare said. “These compounded risk factors, coupled with limited access to resources, can significantly increase the prevalence of mental health issues.”
O’Dare said another stressor for firefights is the 56-hour work week.
“…and this does not include mandatory or voluntary overtime, with some departments exceeding 68 to 70 hours per week — and that far exceeds the traditional 40-hour work week that many professions have,” she said. “These extended hours can significantly disrupt the work-life balance and impair healthy sleep patterns — both critical components of mental and physical well-being.”
The good news is that peer support is effective. Surveys show 78 percent of first responders who experience peer support are “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with their most recent encounter.
