Douglas County Sheriff’s Office members first in Nevada to attend First Responders Resiliency Training

MINDEN — Two Douglas County Sheriff’s Office members were the first in Nevada to attend First Responders Resiliency training in Healdsburg California. The training was developed to assist first responders with necessary tools and methodologies to prepare them for long term physical and mental fitness while serving a career in a high stress working environment.

First Responders Resiliency Inc. is a non-profit organization created “For First Responders, By First Responders” and dedicated to the psychological and physical well-being of those who serve as First Responders. The team is comprised of doctors, paramedics, firefighters, police officers, military veterans, meditation experts and more. They take a proactive approach to educate first responders with the knowledge and tools to get well and stay well. Through science and research, the students are educated about what is happening to their bodies when they are constantly exposed to cumulative stress and trauma. All instructors in the training are retired first responders, who bring experience and credibility to the students who rarely reach out for help with personal struggles.

Many first responders are faced with trauma and stress on a daily basis, which is rarely supported or addressed until they have symptoms described as PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). This past year the Covid-19 Pandemic, wildfires, natural disasters, and our nation’s civil unrest has certainly compounded these problems. There will undoubtedly be many more groups of responders who will be added to this list of cumulative stress/trauma and could greatly benefit from this program as well. It is especially important to practice these skills on a regular basis and not just when it seems necessary, or when suffering from emotional difficulties.

The training brings a heightened awareness to the impacts of repeated stress and impact on the central nervous system and provides students with pro-active resiliency skills and modalities which educates them on the importance of maintaining their neurological, physical, and emotional well-being. A phrase often used in the training is “Radical Self Care” meaning that it is even more important to utilize the learned skills when symptoms of stress begin.

Susan Farren, the founder of First Responders Resiliency Inc. and retired California Bay Area paramedic came to grips with the physical, emotional, and mental impact that her career had taken on her after being diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2016. When her doctor told her that he had treated quite a few first responders with organ cancers, she began a year and a half long journey of research and found a cadre of even more symptoms such as heart attacks, strokes, substance abuse, divorce, and suicide, that disproportionately impact first responders.

Leaders in the first responder industry also benefit from this type of training due to the added stress in their positions as they grasp for ways to adequately assist their employees who struggle with acute and cumulative stress/trauma.

The program aims to provide first responders with the necessary education, skills, and training to address, prevent, and implement wellness techniques on the job and in their everyday life. Unlike other programs available, First Responders Resiliency Inc. also incorporates a separate and widely popular training component for the family members who struggle to understand the changes that happen to their loved ones.

Since the inception of the program, over 3,000 first responders have been trained and the response from attendees has been overwhelmingly positive.

This program teaches First Responders how to take care of themselves first so that they can take care of others. Congratulations to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office for giving their employees the invaluable gift of resiliency.

For more information, please visit www.resiliency1st.org

— Some information taken from an article in “Healdsburg Living, Featured Nonprofit” by Cindy Butner.