JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Being a first responder has its rewards. You’re on the front lines, helping and serving a community you love and care for and being there for people in their darkest moments, providing a light at the end of the tunnel.
But it’s easy to forget that these heroes also carry a heavy weight from the trauma that they see daily.
“There is no downtime. If you have a bad call and you’re finishing up that call and there’s another wreck down the road, you are going to that wreck after you drop that person off at the hospital,” former EMT Jessi Garrison said, recalling what a regular day was like as a first responder.
Most of the time, there was no way to wind down or time to decompress until much later.
“The only time that you do get to do that is when you’re finally off shift and you go to sleep, and then it’s in your dreams, and it’s there when you wake up and it’s very heavy, but you’re alone because your family doesn’t understand what you’re dealing with,” Garrison said. “You can’t share a lot of that because you don’t want to cause any vicarious trauma to your loved ones.”
Days like that, the toll on her body and having a son led Garrison to decide she would continue doing what she loves -- helping people -- but in a different capacity.
Now, she’s a Peer Support Specialist at Here Tomorrow, which offers suicide prevention resources, support groups and training to help prevent suicide.
Garrison is taking her experiences and being a light for first responders, offering them a true understanding that not only helps first responders to feel safe but also allows Garrison to continue helping in the field that gave her this important opportunity.
“(I’m offering) suicide prevention through peer support. So instead of being involved in a medical-like trauma, now it’s a mental-like trauma, so I kind of just flipped the script,” Garrison explained.
Since launching its First Responder Peer Support Program in June 2022, LSF Health Systems has answered calls from over 4,600 EMS professionals, law enforcement, firefighters and their families across 20 counties in Northeast and North Central Florida.
Dr. Christine Cauffield, CEO of LSF Health Systems, said that not only has the program reduced burnout, but it has also prevented suicide and helped first responders be their strongest and best selves for the communities they serve.
“We’re very pleased that our first responders have been so responsive in reaching out for assistance,” Cauffield said. “As we know, they have a very high risk of suicide, higher risk than the general population, and so we certainly want to address those needs and other issues that they tend to struggle with because of the repeated trauma that they experience every single day.”
Cauffield said that through the program, they have seen positive trends in the right direction, with slight decreases in suicide, something LSF is proud of.
“We’ve seen their depression lift, their anxiety, their post-traumatic stress disorder because they’ve reached out for free, confidential help and been paired with a certified recovery first responder, peer specialist who navigates with them through their journey of health,” Cauffield said.
Garrison has helped many first responders since becoming a peer specialist, and she says her experience has not only been rewarding, but it’s given her a new outlook on other ways to help not just the community but those in HER community.
“So providing that safe space where they feel safe, where they can openly talk about their emotions without getting a negative reaction, and just having that support meeting them where they’re at, like if it’s on the floor, if it’s on the second, you know, top of the mountains, wherever they’re at, meet them there and just walk with them through it,” Garrison said.
If you are a first responder or a loved one of a first responder and need help, you can dial 211 for free and confidential help on the next steps in your healing journey.
Resources
Here is a list of mental health resources available in Florida:
- UF Health St. Johns Behavioral Health Resource Center - open 24/7 with clinicians on staff and available to assist during a crisis. No appointment is needed.
- EPIC Behavioral Health Rapid Response Team – 24/7 service for individuals 26+, dial 988, and a response will occur within 60 minutes of the request.
- EPIC Access Support Center – Walk-in services for mental health at their North Campus, Northwest Campus, and Flagler Campus. If this service is needed, walk-in during hours or call (904) 495-7001.
- Mobile Response Team – 24/7 service for individuals 5-25 years old. Dial 988 or 911 and a response will occur within 60 minutes of the request.
- Vinson Foundation - A support group for St. Johns, Jacksonville, Fernandina Beach, and Orange Park, for families who lost someone to suicide.
- St. Augustine Youth Services: 904-829-1770
- Call 211 - Local experts are available 24/7 to help. Calls to 211 are confidential and can be anonymous.
- Hope for Healing Florida - Hope for Healing navigates the many ways Floridians can access help for mental health and substance abuse
These resources can be accessed nationwide.
- 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline - Call or text 988 for help. The Lifeline provides 24/7, free, and confidential support for people in distress, prevention, and crisis resources for you or someone you know.
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) provides resources for issues with mental health, drugs, or alcohol.
- Veterans Crisis Line - Text 838255 or call 1-800-273-8255 and press 1
- Crisis Text Line - Text “Home” to 741741
- Teen Line - Text “Teen” to 839863
