Tailboard Talks

Join us for a discussion on things you need to know about first responder suicide awareness and prevention.  

Dr O'Dare with the 2nd Alarm Project presents to the Florida Behavioral Health Association conference on the unique strengths and challenges in creating comprehensive mental wellness programs for first responders.  She also presents a model organizations might use as a roadmap for developing their own programs. 

Join us as we discuss the pandemic and civil unrest, mental wellness, stigma and barriers to care, moral injury, peer support, and stress reduction strategies with several of our favorite first responders.  

The COVID-19 pandemic and issues of recent civil unrest within our communities have presented unique occupational challenges and impacted the mental wellness of first responders. Issues including: Increased exposure to serious illness & loss of life (on the job & at home); Isolation from family and friends; Often unclear, frequently changing, on non-existent policy direction (lack off coordinated preparedness and response efforts); Protest-related unrest and violence; Violent extremists (increases in firearms related violence FVEs); Vitriol/Attacks/ambush on first responders; Active shooter/hostile events; Increased demands at home- children in virtual school, unemployment or added work demands of spouses, increased financial challenges (loss of 2nd jobs, etc); Increased demands for mandatory overtime and long/extended/stressful/dangerous working environments; Increased need for vigilance in an already hypervigilant population; Increases in arson and other criminal activities; Challenges of community support/ supporting people in safely exhibiting their 1st Amendment rights.  In addition, the Florida Panhandle experienced an overly active hurricane season, resulting in several major storm landfalls. All of these issues have contributed to increased exposure to Critical Incidents/potentially traumatic events, increased feelings of isolation, lack of support and understanding by family or friends, decreased or forced removal of immediate social interaction (e.g., within family and friend circles), increased feelings of sadness and anxiety, and reluctance to ask for help or get treatment.