Dear Chiefs Podcast

It's no surprise that many of our first responders suffer from post traumatic stress. This is a top we have covered more times that we can count on this podcast. What we haven't talked about though are alternative treatments other than therapy.  So in this episode we explore some breakthrough work that Dr. How and Nurse Ann are working on at How Clinic in Encinitas, California.

The HOW Clinic is a clinic in Encinitas, CA  that helps PTSD sufferers with a procedure that disrupts the fight or flight response, essentially resetting the person who lives in a chronic fight or flight state. The best part about it is the person doesn't have to talk about what they've been through with the clinicians, so there is no bringing up things that may be triggers.

Dr How and Registered Nurse Anne Quinn  both work in emergency medicine as well, and their hearts are for those who work in the  field who suffer from post traumatic stress.

For more info visit  https://www.johnhowmd.com/  or follow them on instagram!
Nurse Ann : https://www.instagram.com/anne_the_nurse/
The How Clinic:  https://www.instagram.com/thehowclinic/

Being married to first responders can be tough, especially when they go through academies and have to be away for long stretches of time. Add children to the mix and it can be very stressful. In this episode, we explore a failed relationship and reconciliation after divorce with fellow fire wife and mother, Lisa Vento.

You can learn more about Lisa and her marriage story on her instagram at https://www.instagram.com/firefighterwivessupport/
or follow along on her blog: https://thefirefighterswifeslif.family.blog/

Ever wonder why you crave all the comfort foods when you are having a bad day? Or why your cravings change with the seasons?  We sat down for a chat with Dr. Drew Anderson to find out!

Drew Anderson, PhD, EMT is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Albany-SUNY.  He’s an active teacher and researcher and also maintains a part time clinical practice in the Albany, NY area. 

Let's face it, it's not all sunshine and roses everyday while our first responders are on duty. In this episode, we had the honor of chatting with Anthony McNeil of The Off Duty Podcast about how to deal with the stresses on and off the job.

Anthony McNeil is a retired police officer who served for 20 years with the Southfield (MI) Police Department, a husband (married 27 years), a father of two beautiful daughters, a entrepreneur and golf fanatic.

Follow Anthony:

Instagram: @theoffdutypodcast

Podcast: https://theoffdutypodcast.com/

The Emergency Responders Podcast Network: https://heroespodcastnetwork.com/

We asked our listeners what they would ask a Mental Health Professional if they had the chance. In this episode, we created a panel of  mental health advocates: Susan Farren; First Responder Resiliency, James Boomhower; Stay Fit 4 Duty, Ashley Iverson; Iverson Foundation For Active Awareness, and Drew Anderson PhD EMT;  Fire Lieutenant and Director of behavioral health from Delmar Bethlehem EMS in New York .  We had them weigh in on some of your tough questions and also talk a little about mental health as a whole in emergency response.

find out more about our panelists:

Susan Farren:  https://www.resiliency1st.org/
James Boomhower: https://linktr.ee/stay_fit4duty
Ashley Iverson: https://iversonfaa.org/

This episode is a personal story of recovery and resilience with a firefighter from Southern California.  Join us as Matty Fiorenza tells us his journey towards healing and resilience.

Matthew Fiorenza has been a Firefighter/Paramedic in Southern California for 20 years. After ten years on the job he began having issues with anxiety, stress, and depression and was later diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). After 13 years of marriage and three children, he experienced divorce. At the time, he did not know that it would help drive his passion to help the families of first responders.

Today, Matthew is a sober mentor to men and women in the First Responder community and a volunteer at the Save A Warrior program. As an outreach specialist at First Responder Wellness by Simple Recovery, he proactively reaches out to brothers and sisters who may be struggling. Recently, he also became an instructor with Santa Ana College to facilitate mental health blocks to new recruits so they have healthier coping skills. His passion is to provide other first responders with education, resources, hope, and a path towards healing. Matthew, and his partners Dr Stephen Odom and Devin O’Day created Shift Wellness, A business with many different functions including Mental Health Training for First Responders and many different wellness retreats including one for Spouses of First Responders called the Sage Project.

Follow Matty:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fireman_matty/

Shift Wellness Website: https://www.shiftwellness.com/sign-up

In this episode we take another peek behind the curtain of how kids feel when their parents are first responder. Today, we interview Audra's daughter, Isabelle. Isabelle is about to be a senior in high school and navigating college applications, SATs and it’s all very overwhelming.  She is active in Junior State of America, choir president, works part time, and pays her own car insurance.  When she was born dad wasn’t a firefighter yet.  He was working night shift on an ambulance in Oakland.  Dad took care of Iz during the day while I worked and then went to work at night.  And then when she was 4 he got hired with the department.  So she really got the most time with dad out of all the kids

Fire Season is heating up in California and for firefighters that means they will be spending a lot more time on incidents and away from their families. This can have a profound affect on their children at home. So how do we help them thrive in uncertain times and long deployments? This episode aims to help answer those questions and more. Rachelle Zemlock, PSyD joins us to talk to us about building resilient kids in emergency response families.

Rachelle Zemlok is a licensed child and family psychologist in California and specializes in supporting and educating first responder families in private practice. As a fire spouse and law enforcement sister she knows what type of impact the career can have and helps provide first responder families with information that will help keep them resilient to those impacts. She is the author of "THE FIREFIGHTER FAMILY ACADEMY: A GUIDE TO EDUCATE AND PREPARE SPOUSES FOR THE CAREER AHEAD." Dr. Zemlok also has a podcast "CODE 3 FAMILIES" and a blog geared toward supporting and educating first responder spouses.

Ever wonder what goes through the minds of children of first responders? In this episode we are removing the veil and exposing the thoughts of one of them.

Aiden McFadden is Chelsi's 16.5 years old son, a straight A honors student, Humane Society and Lions Club International volunteer, our podcast editor, and avid hobbyist photographer. 

We've covered the public's perception of the uniform, but what if you meet someone at work and immediately hit it off? How do you keep it professional if you are both working in the same firehouse?  Here to answer that question is none other than Tessa Rudnick. A fellow firewife and friend of Audra.

Tessa Rudnick was elected to the El Cerrito City Council in 2020. She has has worked for local cities as an IT project manager and business analyst, with a focus on public safety. She was the IT Portfolio Coordinator for the Berkeley Fire Department, and was most recently the IT Director for the San Francisco Department of Police Accountability. Tessa has a Masters in Public Administration (MPA) from Presidio Graduate School.

Follow Tessa:

El Cerrito City Council Meetings: https://www.el-cerrito.org/482/Council-Meeting-Videos-Materials

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tessarudnick/