On this week’s episode, we continue our three-part series focused on responders and suicide prevention with co-host Dr. Carolyn Coarsey of the Family Assistance Foundation and guests Dr. April Foreman and behavioral health specialist Sarah Bernes. This week, we discuss what mental health professionals need to know when treating a first responder, the most effective treatments for responders experiencing a mental health crisis. Specific topics include the safety planning intervention method and how it can help responders cope with a mental health crisis, and how the caring contacts method can reduce the chance of suicide.

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or text HOME to 741741. Both of these confidential resources are available 24/7.

Here are some other resources recommended by our guests:

1. Suicide Prevention Resource Center

2. American Association for Suicidology

3. International Association of Fire Fighters 

On this week’s episode, we begin a new, three-part series focused on responders and suicide prevention. This week, we discuss topics such as the overlap among veterans and first responders, the heightened risk of trauma exposure in responder professions, and the challenges behind collecting accurate data on responder suicide rates. Carolyn Coarsey, Ph.D, mental health coordinator and president and co-founder of the Family Assistance Foundation, joins host Ashley Markle for this series. Other guests include April Foreman, Ph.D, board member of the American Association of Suicidology; and Sarah Bernes, behavioral health specialist for the International Association of Fire Fighters. 

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or text HOME to 741741. Both of these confidential resources are available 24/7.

Here are some other resources recommended by our guests: 

1. Suicide Prevention Resource Center

2. American Association for Suicidology

3. International Association of Fire Fighters 

This episode features the third and final part of Ashley and Roy’s conversation about responder wellness with Denita Ball, Chief Deputy of the Milwaukee Sheriff’s Department, and Gus Handke, Undersheriff for Carter County, Oklahoma. They discuss how to balance the desire for higher levels of education for officers with the importance of recruiting officers from diverse backgrounds and experiences. They also talk about how scenario-based training both in police academies and in the field can be improved to help officers improve their critical thinking skills and abilities to deescalate adverse situations in the field.

In this episode, Ashley and Roy continue their conversation about responder wellness with Denita Ball, Chief Deputy of the Milwaukee Sheriff’s Department, and Gus Handke, Undersheriff for Carter County, Oklahoma. They discuss the importance of de-stigmatizing seeking help for mental health issues and how to change the culture in law enforcement that may discourage an officer for openly discussing mental health challenges.

In this episode of the podcast, NCBRT subject matter expert Roy Bethge joins host Ashley Markle again to continue our conversations on the idea of responder resilience. They talk with Denita Ball, Chief Deputy of the Milwaukee Sheriff’s Department, and Gus Handke, Undersheriff for Carter County, Oklahoma, to get their perspectives on how both urban and rural departments view topics like resilience and the COVID-19 pandemic. They also discuss the unique positions that sheriffs, as elected officials, are in to address issues like public opinion and transparency in policing.

In this week’s episode, host Ashley Markle and NCBRT subject matter expert Roy Bethge finish up their conversation with Chiefs Kristen Ziman and Steve Casstevens from the International Association of Chiefs of Police about the resources police departments need to create the kind of environment that allows responders to become resilient. In the wake of both the COVID-19 pandemic and the tension of the Black Lives Matter movement, they also discuss the importance of creating strong and transparent relationships with the community and how to create support networks both inside and outside of individual agencies.

In this week’s episode, host Ashley Markle and NCBRT subject matter expert Roy Bethge continue their conversation with Chiefs Kristen Ziman and Steve Casstevens from the International Association of Chiefs of Police. They talk about the stigma around getting help for mental health issues in the law enforcement community, the risks that not seeking help has on job performance, and the importance of engaging in open and honest discussions about mental health. They also discuss and how departments can make resources like wellness checks and peer support systems more widely available, and how department leaders and encourage their officers to utilize those resources.

In this episode of the LSU NCBRT Preparedness Podcast, we come back to the topic of resilience: what does officer resilience mean in the midst of both a pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement? How can responders care for their own mental health while confronting uncomfortable truths? What changes will be made to police departments following the protests to both increase public safety and transparency within departments? Our guests are Kristen Ziman, Aurora, Illinois police chief and Vice President of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and Steve Casstevens, Buffalo Grove, Illinois police chief and president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Kristen and Steve discuss these important topics with host Ashley Markle and NCBRT subject matter expert Roy Bethge. Next week, we will discuss the mental health impacts that these traumas have on the law enforcement community, the stigma of seeking help for mental health issues, and the importance of changing the culture within law enforcement to improve resiliency.

In the third and final episode on our food safety series, the International Food Protection Training Institute’s Jerry Wojtala and the Association for Food and Drug Officials’ Steve Mandernach look back at the lessons the food industry has learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. We discuss the impacts that the pandemic has had on the food industry economy, the impact of a potential “second wave” later on, and the ways in which all sectors of the food industry can improve safety measures, streamlined distribution, and the recovery process moving forward.

Last week, Steve Mandernach, executive director of the Association for Food and Drug Officials, and Jerry Wojtala, executive director of the International Food Protection Training Institute, gave us an overview of the food industry. This week, Steve and Jerry discuss how COVID-19 is affecting the ways that workers ensure that both they and the food they are working with stay safe. Next week, we will finish up our food safety series by discussing the supply and demand problems that the pandemic has caused, and what lessons those in the food industry can learn from COVID-19.