Register now through July 10
First responders provide critical and often live-saving services at both natural and technological disasters. They may be exposed to death, grief, injury, pain or loss, as well as threats to their own safety, frequent shifts and/or long shifts, lack of sleep, physical hardship, and other negative experiences. In many cases across Vermont, these first responders are community-based volunteers taking time away from their careers and family to respond in a moment’s notice to serve their neighbors in need. That is why Vermont State University’s Center for Social Justice and Trauma Response Care on the Castleton Campus is hosting its second Annual First Responder Wellness Conference on July 15-16. You can register here.
“First responders carry the weight of their own safety and well-being as well as those they serve,” said Dr. Linda Olson, executive director of the Center for Social Justice and Trauma Responsive Care at Castleton on the Castleton campus of Vermont State University (VTSU). “Often, they get little time to heal and recover from one potentially traumatic situation before the next one occurs. It’s therefore understandable that first responders face a greater risk of stress, PTS, depression, substance use, and suicide ideation and attempts. These risks only increase when issues of structural inequality are considered—they disproportionately impact groups already disadvantaged by race, class, and gender,” she added.
“Often times first responders are made up of groups of people that were taught to be tough and to suppress their emotions,” reported Danielle Morse, a volunteer firefighter, registered nurse, and 2021 graduate of the VTSU nursing program. “A mental health crisis doesn’t always happen after just one bad call, but trauma can slowly add up over time. Sometimes it’s just seeing or experiencing one little thing that is enough to overfill the cup and lead to emotional collapse. Especially in the volunteer world, many of us go directly home after a call and have to deal with emotions on our own,” she explained.
The Center has mobilized to mitigate the risks faced by the heroes we count on in emergencies and other crises with a two-day training session designed to support first responders and help build community. Participants will listen to two keynote speakers— Nicole Sawyer, PsyD, a licensed clinical psychologist in New Hampshire who works exclusively with public safety professionals and agencies, Mike Cancellieri, who directs the Front Line Foundations a Vermont-based non-profit dedicated to providing culturally competent mental health care to veterans and first responders. They will also choose from a variety of workshops.
“This preventive training major aim is to promote peer support programs, resilience skills and interventions to address burnout prior to disasters or other events,” Olson noted. “Our program is unique because it recognizes and actualizes the connection between structural inequity and trauma,” she stressed.
“Workshops and wellness sessions that are available specifically for first responders are critical to help those who are already in need, and to help prevent future trauma by teaching more first responders that it’s okay to not be okay, but that it’s not okay to deal with those emotions alone,” Morse stated. “Keeping a community healthy and well starts with making sure those who are helping the community are as well. As a registered nurse and volunteer firefighter of over 10 years, I have seen far too many people who could have utilized these services but never reached out for help and didn’t know how to help themselves,” she said.
The Center launched four years ago with a $100,000 grant from Rutland Regional Medical Center. The organization is a laboratory for advancement in the field of social justice and trauma informed care. The program, run by VTSU faculty and staff and incorporate students, provides resources and trainings to improve the health and wellbeing of residents of Rutland County. The group recently received a $10,000 grant to expand services into Addison County. The conference is open to all first responders and scholarships are available for those needing assistance.
All first responders statewide are encouraged to register and attend. Affordable overnight accommodations and meals are available. Learn more and register here.
