Americans are watching in horror as wildfires devastate Southern California. At least 27 people have died. Tens of thousands of people have fled their homes. And thousands of emergency personnel are battling desperately to contain the flames. The events have Floridians thinking about the courage of their own first responders here at home.
State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis has announced a request for $3.6 million in state funding to improve mental health care for first responders: firefighters, law enforcement officers, dispatchers and emergency medical personnel.
In an October interview with WFSU, he reflected on the emotional toll first responders face in their daily jobs.
“A 3-year-old child had entered into a retention pond back in 2017 in Palm Beach County," Patronis said. "And all I could think about is: The child didn’t make it, and some first responder had to go out there and wade into the retention pond to grab this child. And somebody had to go and tell the mom and dad they’re never going to hug their little baby ever again.”
While most people flee natural and manmade disasters, first responders are trained to run toward them. Firefighters, paramedics and law enforcement officers were deployed to the Surfside condominium collapse, the Pulse nightclub and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School mass shootings, and a long string of hurricanes.
First responders make up 1.4 percent of Florida’s workforce, but their suicide rate is more than two times higher than the rate 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 project began in 2019, in the wake of Hurricane Michael. Its teams include trained first responders who know the job and serve as peer support, along with trained chaplains, clinicians and comfort dogs.
This past week, the state Senate Children and Families Committee heard from the 2nd Alarm Project’s founder and leader, Kellie O’Dare. She’s the spouse of a firefighter paramedic and comes from a family of first responders.
“My uncle, Shawn O’Dare, gave his life in the line of duty as a Miami-Dade County firefighter rescuing a child trapped in an overturned vehicle submerged in a canal," she said. "And his legacy inspires me to advocate for the well-being of those who serve and protect our communities. This mission is my way of honoring him and supporting the first responder family I’m so proud to be a part of.”
O’Dare says the state is at a pivotal point in the evolution of first responder mental wellness, with stigma decreasing and cultural shifts beginning to take hold.
“This is a time of immense opportunity for growth, provided we harness lessons learned and address ongoing challenges," she said. "Awareness of first responder mental wellness has grown, but significant resource gaps, inconsistent practices and an overreliance on reactive measures hinder progress, particularly in underserved areas.”
A coordinated statewide strategy is essential, says O’Dare, and her colleague at the 2nd Alarm Project, firefighter Mike Bellamy, agrees. Bellamy’s been on both sides of the need for support. He was deployed to the Surfside collapse in 2021, where 98 people died.
“I was at Surfside for a couple of weeks, and I remember the peer teams coming into our base camps; we were living in tent cities," he said. "It was such a refreshing feeling to see a firefighter in the 2nd Alarm shirt walk in and put his arm around you and just say, ‘Hey, bud, I know this can’t be easy. I’ve been there. Let’s have a cup of coffee and catch up.’”
Now, as of Jan. 1, the 2nd Alarm Project has merged with UCF RESTORES at the University of Central Florida. UCF RESTORES not only serves first responders, but also military personnel, veterans, and survivors of mass violence and natural disasters. Bellamy says the merger provides the coordinated statewide strategy its advocates have been calling for.
“It’s proactive rather than reactive work," he said. "It’s blue-sky work. We’re going in and building these programs out ahead of the event, so that when the event occurs, we have a behavioral plan and access for those first responders.”
UCF RESTORES specializes in the delivery of peer support training for first responders and public safety leaders. It also offers training to help licensed mental health clinicians provide effective support.
If you are a first responder, peer, family member, or clinician interested in learning more about trauma therapy or training, go to UCFrestores.com or call UCF RESTORES at 407-823-3910 to learn more.
For more information about the 2nd Alarm Project, visit 2ndalarmproject.org.
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