St. Charles grant to help Redmond Fire & Rescue improve mental health resources for first responders

REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- "Unfortunately, one of the things about first responders is, we help people -- we don't seek help," said Redmond Fire & Rescue Engineer-Paramedic Jon Powell. "So having built-in people to visit with each other really helps remove that load."    

On Monday, Redmond Fire received a $9,000 grant from St. Charles Health System. The money will go to a peer support program for first responders.

"Every year, we actually have a couple of different grant priorities that we focus on," said Angela Saraceno, St. Charles' community partnerships officer. "This year, now addressing loneliness and social isolation."

The program will utilize training sessions from mental health experts and experienced first responders, who understand the circumstances faced by staff.

Fire Chief Pat Dale said, "Our firefighters go often on traumatic and very emotional incidents. And over the years, those can accumulate. The program will teach them about effective listening problem solving and helping each other."