In law enforcement terms 'Code 9' translates to officer in need of emergency assistance.   The trouble is...  so often our officers (and first responders) are so focused on the 'emergencies' as far as the duties of their jobs and careers, that they don't notice the critical ones taking place in their own inner world.

The Code 9 Foundation is the brainchild of Sergeant Mark Thomas.  A not for profit organisation brought to life as a result of Mark finding himself eventually crawling from the rubble of his own inner Code 9.  

The Code 9 Foundation emerged to provide support, education and assistance to first responders, as well as their loved ones, around PTSD (PTSI), depression and anxiety...  symptoms so often swept under the rug.  Symptoms that can be an inevitable result, on varying levels when our heroic breed of humans enter the careers that expose them to repeated stress and traumatic events.

In this episode Mark shares the vivid details of the very event that triggered his sharp decline and saw him hospitalised some years later.  Mark offers a raw inside perspective into a world to which many of us don't so much as give a second thought.   

It is people like Mark Thomas who, brick-by-brick, are paving the way to a better understanding and a better platform for all of our first responder and emergency service community. 

I thank Mark for connecting and sharing his time with me.  He is a speaker for Beyond Blue and a passionate ambassador for mental health and PTSD awareness.  You can contact Mark via the below details.

www.markthomas.com.au

www.tiffaneeandco.com.au  |  @rollwiththepunches_podcast  |  @tiffaneeandco   

EPISODE SPONSOR: Fresh Networking www.freshnetworking.com.au

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