Status: Code 4, Inc.

05/28/2026

Congratulations to Seth Gentry and Amanda Wilkinson on being awarded the 2026 First Responder to Counselor Scholarship! This prestigious scholarship, amounting to $10,000 each, will help both individuals as they pursue their Master of Arts in Clinical Counseling at Colorado Christian University. In 2027, they will gain valuable hands-on experience by completing their Practicum and Clinical Internship with SC4i. We wish them both great success in their studies and future careers in counseling!

05/28/2026

Save the Date!!

Sunshine, shopping, and supporting your community… sounds pretty great!☀️

The August Artisan & Gift Show is bringing together the best of local makers, creatives, and small businesses, all while giving back to a nonprofit that supports first responders and their families. It’s a feel-good kind of day 💛

Think: summer vibes, busy booths, and customers actually excited to find you.

🗓 August 1st, 2026
📍 Norris Penrose Event Center

Ready to claim your spot?
Apply here: https://www.csladiesevents.com/august-artisan-gift-show

05/22/2026

Please support if you are able to.

Ken Bradley is a lieutenant with Berthoud Fire and is well-known in the fire community as… Kelly Fischer needs your support for Support Ken Bradley’s Recovery

05/21/2026

There are a few days left to fill out a Mental Health Crisis Experience Survey that the Su***de Prevention Collaborative of El Paso County is conducting.

Organizers are hoping for at least 400 responses – which are anonymous – to gauge how crisis care can be improved from locals who have used mental health services in El Paso County.

The survey is open through Friday to any adult ages 18 and over and is available in English and Spanish at the home page of the collaborative at spcollab.org.

It’s the first community-wide effort to collect first-hand experiences of mental health crisis care across the system, from the time someone reaches out for help through their transition back to regular life, said Cassandra Walton, executive director of Pikes Peak Su***de Prevention Partnership and chair of the Su***de Prevention Collaborative of El Paso County. 🔗 Read more: https://buff.ly/zE9KMk4

05/21/2026

05/19/2026

This article has valuable perspectives that should be discussed in the First Responder community.

https://afteraction.care/first-responder-mental-health-and-operational-readiness/

Sharing this resource because I think it raises important conversations around first responder mental health and operational readiness.

This is a **blog/resource article from After Action**, not a peer-reviewed research study, but it does a good job discussing how trauma exposure, operational stress, stigma, and support systems can impact both wellness and job performance. ([After Actioncare][1])

One thing I appreciate is the emphasis on the idea that mental health support is not separate from operational readiness — it is part of it. The article discusses:
• PTSD and operational stress
• peer support and family support
• stigma around seeking help
• trauma-informed care
• resilience and recovery strategies
• the importance of organizational culture and leadership support ([After Actioncare][1])

Like many blog-style resources, it blends educational information, discussion, and program promotion, so it should not be interpreted the same way as empirical research. But I still think it contains valuable perspectives that are worth discussing within first responder culture.

🔗 Read here: [After Action – First Responder Mental Health and Operational Readiness](https://afteraction.care/first-responder-mental-health-and-operational-readiness/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)



[1]: https://afteraction.care/after-action-treatment-program/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Inside Look at the After Action Treatment Program for First ..."

05/19/2026

Came across this blog today and thought it raised some important points worth discussing. While this is a blog post rather than a peer-reviewed research article, it does a good job highlighting something many first responders already know firsthand:

Trauma carries costs that extend far beyond a single call.

The article discusses how proactive wellness initiatives may help reduce:
• burnout
• retention issues
• performance concerns
• long-term mental health impacts

It also emphasizes that wellness should not only be reactive after a crisis occurs. Creating systems that support sleep, recovery, peer support, culturally competent mental health care, and early intervention matters.

One thing I appreciated was the discussion around organizational responsibility. Too often resilience is framed only as an individual responsibility, when research consistently shows leadership, culture, workload, and support systems all influence outcomes.

Again, this is a blog — not a research study — but I think it brings up meaningful conversations for agencies, leadership, and responders alike.

🔗 Read here: [Benchmark Analytics Blog](https://www.benchmarkanalytics.com/blog/the-hidden-cost-of-officer-trauma-why-proactive-wellness-initiatives-save-lives-and-budgets/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

05/16/2026

Thank You Punishers LEMC NORAD Chapter for supporting SC4i. We had a great time today meeting everyone and we can't thank you enough for your support.

05/12/2026

What a day!! We'd like to take this time to thank all of our golfers, sponsors, volunteers and contributors for being part of our 9th Annual Golf Tournament on May 8th. Whether you joined us swinging clubs, supporting as a sponsor, or both — you made the day brighter, and we are so glad you were there.

Together, 144 golfers and 18 sponsors showed up in a big way with keeping the energy high and smiles wide. The result? A net profit of $16,219.25 that will fund free, confidential therapy for Colorado's first responders and their families. That's not just a great number — that's real lives changed. Thank You!!

05/10/2026

🧠 Mental health outcomes are rarely about one factor—they’re about interaction.

Research in psychology continues to show that stress, environment, and internal processes don’t operate separately—they interact.

👉 It’s the combination that shapes outcomes.

🔬 What this line of research emphasizes:

Mental health is influenced by:
• external stressors (environment, demands, exposure)
• internal processes (thought patterns, emotional regulation)
• contextual factors (support, culture, resources)

👉 These don’t act alone—they compound and interact over time.

💡 Why this matters for first responders:

This profession includes:
• repeated exposure to stress and trauma
• high-demand environments
• limited recovery windows

But outcomes are shaped by more than exposure—
👉 they are shaped by how all of these factors interact.

⚠️ Key insight:

It’s not just:
👉 “What happened?”

It’s:
👉 “How did it interact with everything else already in place?”

🛡️ What supports better outcomes:

✔️ Strong support systems
✔️ Healthy coping processes
✔️ Organizational awareness
✔️ Opportunities for recovery and processing

👉 The takeaway:

Mental health isn’t one-dimensional—

👉 it’s the result of multiple systems working together
(or working against each other).