Essex Fire Department, VT

On November 15th, FIRST visited Essex Fire Department in Vermont to present department membership their data from RAPID. During her visit, she and Essex RAPID champion Safety Officer Steve Trenholm spoke on findings from Essex's RAPID report to local news outlet WCAX3.

In addition to visiting with Essex Fire Department, FIRST met with members of the Essex town council, including the department and assistant managers and the human resources director. FIRST also met with Chief Dan Lynch of the Vermont Fire Academy, who is working with the Vermont State Legislature on bill S.42. This bill would establish the Emergency Service Provider Wellness Commission in support of first responder health and well-being, including mental health. Chief Lynch has used RAPID data from Essex Fire Department to directly inform this bill.

This showcases the importance of each department's commitment to the RAPID project. The time and effort they put into collecting this important data is being used to push for evidence-based policy changes aimed at improving the mental health of our nation's first responders.