First Responder Wellness Research

04/06/2026

🚨 We have programs for first responder mental health… but do we actually know what works?

That’s the question this research set out to answer.

By reviewing years of studies and interviewing leaders in the field, the findings were clear:
👉 We are trying a lot of things…
👉 but we still don’t have strong evidence for what is most effective long-term.

🧠 What’s currently being used:
• Peer support programs
• Mindfulness training
• Fitness and wellness initiatives
• Therapy and group interventions
• Su***de prevention efforts

Some of these show promise—especially:
✔️ Mindfulness
✔️ Physical fitness
✔️ Psychotherapy

But here’s the challenge:
⚠️ Many programs haven’t been studied rigorously enough to know their true impact

💡 The real gap isn’t effort—it’s evidence.

We’ve built systems.
We’ve implemented programs.
We’ve started the conversation.

But we still need:
👉 Better research
👉 Stronger evaluation
👉 Clear outcomes tied to real wellbeing—not just participation

🚨 And this matters because:
First responders face higher risks of:
• PTSD
• Depression
• Substance use
• Su***de

…and yet many still don’t access support or don’t find it helpful when they do.

🛡️ Where we go from here:
This study pushes us toward something bigger:

✔️ Moving from “we offer programs” → to “we know what works”
✔️ Designing interventions that actually fit the culture
✔️ Measuring outcomes that matter (not just attendance)
✔️ Building systems that are continuous—not one-time

👉 The takeaway:
We don’t just need more programs.
We need better ones—and the data to back them up.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12479010/

04/05/2026

🚨 Last, Last Call for Registration! 🚨
Attention all first responders!

🗓️ Registration Closes: Monday, April 6, 2026
Don’t miss your chance to be part of the Behind the Badge Conference, proudly hosted by the Tennessee First Responders Foundation. Join us for an incredible opportunity to connect, learn, and grow together.

🎟️ This is your final opportunity to secure your spot for an inspiring event filled with insightful speakers, valuable workshops, and networking opportunities with fellow first responders and allies in the community.

✨ Register now to be a part of this transformative experience.

Visit our website https://www.tnfirstrespondersfoundation.com/behindthebadge for more details and to register.

See you there!

“Behind the Badge” is a conference designed exclusively for first responders to provide quality education on promoting endurance throughout life, not just within the career as a first responder. We will provide education and resources to address: stress reduction, marriage and family, su***de pr...

04/05/2026

04/04/2026

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🚨 Missed the live podcast yesterday? You can catch the replay.

We had an important conversation about EAPs and whether they’re truly delivering for first responders, and the response has been strong.

If you didn’t catch it live, you can watch or listen on multiple platforms:

🎥 YouTube:
https://youtu.be/Ssb12_-Q95E

🎧 Stream on your preferred platform:
• iHeart: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1333-b1c-podcast-312796187

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/50dNIYCWAXqapvCFapFoyJ?si=5357a13a84cb4c09

• Apple Podcasts (iTunes)
• Amazon Music
• Spreaker: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-7-eaps-are-they-delivering-for-first-responders--71101205

This conversation dives into:
🧠 The reality of EAP access and utilization
⚠️ Gaps in support for first responders
💡 What needs to change moving forward

The podcast has already been shared across social media,
and the conversation is just getting started.

👉 Take a listen and let me know your thoughts.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-dickinson-ii-a3196752/?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_detail_base%3BHQOBvBg%2BRDiAiVPEUn7S1Q%3D%3D and I had the opportu

04/03/2026

:

🚨 Going LIVE Today — Let’s Talk About EAPs

Join me LIVE at 11:00 AM EST / 10:00 AM CST as we take a real look at Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs)—
what they are, what they’re supposed to do, and where they’re falling short for first responders.

Hosted by: Battalion 1 Consultants, LLC

This conversation matters.

Because too often, EAPs are presented as the solution—
👉 but don’t always meet the needs of the people they’re meant to support.

We’ll talk about:
🧠 Accessibility vs. reality
🛑 Why utilization is so low
⚠️ Where gaps exist for first responders
💡 What needs to change moving forward

If you care about first responder mental health, leadership, and real solutions, this is for you.

🔗 Tune in here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1631993088122331

Bring your thoughts, your questions, and your experiences.

Let’s have an honest conversation.

Send a message to learn more

04/03/2026

🚨 Leadership in first responder settings comes down to one thing: trust.

Not rank.
Not years on the job.
Not how well you perform on a call.

👉 Trust.

And trust isn’t built in big moments—
it’s built in the small, consistent ones your team notices every day.

🧠 The 4 Pillars of Trust—through a leadership lens:

🟩 Consistency
Your crew is watching.
Do your words match your actions—especially under stress?
Are you the same leader on a calm day as you are on a bad call?

🟦 Transparency
Can your team ask questions without getting shut down?
Do you communicate openly, or only when it’s convenient?
People don’t expect perfection—but they do expect honesty.

🟨 Accountability
When something goes wrong, do you own it?
Or do you shift blame down the chain?
Leadership isn’t about being right—it’s about being responsible.

🟥 Reliability
Do you show up when it matters?
Not just on scene—but for your people?
Can they count on you when things get hard—not just when things are easy?

💡 Here’s the reality:
In this line of work, your team doesn’t just follow your direction—
👉 they decide whether they trust you.

And that trust determines:
• communication on scene
• willingness to ask for help
• how people process difficult calls
• whether your team thrives… or just survives

🛡️ Strong leadership isn’t about control—
it’s about creating an environment where your people feel:
✔️ supported
✔️ heard
✔️ safe to speak up

Because when trust is present, performance follows.

When it’s not—
everything else starts to break down.

👉 The question isn’t “Am I in charge?”
👉 It’s “Am I trusted?”

04/02/2026

Tune in tomorrow!

04/02/2026

🚨 Last Call for Registration! 🚨

Attention all first responders!

🗓️ Registration Closes: Monday, April 6, 2026
Don’t miss your chance to be part of the Behind the Badge Conference, proudly hosted by the Tennessee First Responders Foundation. Join us for an incredible opportunity to connect, learn, and grow together.

🎟️ This is your final opportunity to secure your spot for an inspiring event filled with insightful speakers, valuable workshops, and networking opportunities with fellow first responders and allies in the community.

✨ Register now to be a part of this transformative experience. Visit our website https://www.tnfirstrespondersfoundation.com/behindthebadge for more details and to register.

See you there!

“Behind the Badge” is a conference designed exclusively for first responders to provide quality education on promoting endurance throughout life, not just within the career as a first responder. We will provide education and resources to address: stress reduction, marriage and family, su***de pr...

04/02/2026

🚨 Not all trauma comes from what you see…

Some of it comes from what you had to do.
Or what you couldn’t do.

This is what we call moral injury.

And for first responders, it’s more common than we talk about.

Research shows that moral injury often:
🧠 Happens as part of the job—not outside of it
⚠️ Is hard to recognize in the moment
💔 Shows up as guilt, shame, or feeling like you failed someone

Over time, it can lead to:
• Isolation from others
• Loss of trust
• Lower self-worth
• Even spiritual or identity struggles

💡 Here’s the part we need to pay attention to:

Many first responders don’t talk about this—
because it doesn’t always look like “trauma” the way we expect it to.

It looks like:
👉 “I should have done more”
👉 “I made the wrong call”
👉 “That shouldn’t have happened”

🛡️ What first responders in the research said actually helps:
✔️ Talking about it openly
✔️ Breaking the stigma around needing support
✔️ Being proactive—not waiting until it gets worse
✔️ Building a trusted support system

👉 This isn’t about weakness.
👉 This isn’t about doing the job wrong.

This is about carrying the weight of decisions made in impossible situations.

If this hits home for you—
you’re not the only one who has felt it.

And you don’t have to carry it alone.

04/01/2026

Honored to share that I’ve been invited to present at the Strength in Service: Advancing First Responder Resilience Through Research & Practice conference this September at Oklahoma State University.

Grateful for the opportunity to be part of this important conversation, bringing together research, practice, and lived experience to better support those who serve on the front lines. I’m especially looking forward to contributing not only through this presentation, but also through an invited book chapter connected to this work.

Excited to collaborate, learn, and continue to push for meaningful change in first responder wellness.

04/01/2026

🚨 Let’s talk about mental health—what it actually is (and isn’t).

In first responder and military culture, mental health is often misunderstood…
or only talked about when something has already gone wrong.

But here’s the truth:

🧠 Mental health isn’t just about crisis.
It’s something every one of us has—every single day.

It shows up in:
• how you handle a tough call
• how you sleep after shift
• how you connect (or don’t) with others
• how you carry what you’ve seen

💡 What we need to shift:

❌ It’s not weakness
❌ It’s not “just in your head”
❌ It’s not something you only deal with when you’re struggling

✔️ It is part of being human
✔️ It is connected to your physical health
✔️ It is something that needs regular attention—not just emergency care

👉 In this line of work, you’re trained to take care of everyone else.
But your mental health deserves the same consistency and attention.

Not just when it’s broken.
Not just when it’s overwhelming.

All the time.

🛡️ Because taking care of your mental health isn’t stepping away from the job—
it’s what allows you to keep doing it.

03/31/2026

🚨 Why you feel the way you do after a call…

This isn’t just “stress.”
This is your nervous system doing exactly what it was designed to do.

For first responders, you move through these states all the time—often without realizing it:

🔴 Fight / Flight (Activation)
Adrenaline kicks in. You’re sharp, fast, ready.
This is where you do the job.

🟡 Freeze (Stuck energy)
That moment where your body pauses—
processing, scanning, bracing.

⚫ Shutdown (Collapse)
After enough exposure, your system may go quiet.
Numb. Disconnected. Checked out.
Not weakness—protection.

🟢 Social Engagement (Safe & Regulated)
Calm. Connected. Present.
This is where recovery actually happens.

💡 Here’s what matters:
You are not meant to stay in survival mode all the time.

But the job often keeps you cycling between:
👉 activation → deactivation → repeat

And without intentional recovery, your system never fully returns to green (safe)

🧠 What this means for you:
✔️ Feeling on edge after a shift = normal
✔️ Feeling numb after repeated calls = normal
✔️ Struggling to “turn it off” = normal

But staying there long-term?
👉 That’s where it starts to take a toll.

🛡️ What helps regulate your system:
• Movement (walk, workout, even pacing)
• Connection (someone who gets it)
• Breath + slowing down (even briefly)
• Creating moments of safety off-duty

👉 And here’s the hard truth:
Social engagement can be the most difficult place to get back to.

After what you’ve seen and experienced, connection can feel uncomfortable, distant, or even unnecessary.

But this is where recovery begins.

👉 You don’t have to “just deal with it.”
👉 You don’t have to stay in survival mode.

Your nervous system learned to protect you.
It can also learn how to come back to safety.