Health & Wellness: An Embedded Therapist, a Therapy Dog & Mental Well-Being

Roseville, MN, Fire Department (RFD) firefighters battled a house fire. They discovered an unresponsive person. The victim was declared deceased on scene.

Ashes, the RFD’s certified service/therapy canine, also was on scene—to provide the firefighters with a moment of comfort and to help to start the conversation about the tragedy.

The next day, Ashes was at the firehouse with those same members, providing support and stress relief as they transitioned to their day off.

Reduce stress, build resilience
A generation ago, firefighters often were left to process job stresses and trauma on their own. The RFD decided to be innovative. It invested in a preventative mental health program to match the high-stress, high-stakes profession.

The city contracted a licensed mental health professional to immerse in the fire department, which added annual individual wellness checks, hosts quarterly wellness trainings and provides 24/7 emergency phone access to mental health professionals. It adopted Ashes in 2023.

All of this falls into the department’s efforts to find ways to reduce stress and build resilience on the front end and during and after incidents.

Therapist with experience
Access to mental health resources has been a huge barrier for public safety officials. Firefighters and other first responders see themselves as problem-solvers. There is an element of “I should be able to deal with this myself.” Instead of addressing issues early, firefighters might wait until issues become overwhelming and already are affecting work and family life.

The mental health professional who was contracted already worked closely with the fire department and the city’s police department to provide help and support after critical incidents. The individual, who is board-certified in traumatic stress and crisis response, now periodically joins firefighters on emergency calls and for training and meals. He even helps with day-to-day firehouse tasks.

“You look at things in a proactive manner versus just a reactive manner,” the mental health professional explains. “Instead of saying, ‘Come to my office and let’s talk about your life,’ it’s more about me learning about their lives and being part of their lives.”

The mental health professional holds quarterly trainings on wellness topics, including recognizing fatigue, family communications and ways to mitigate stress, such as meditation.

He started his career as a police officer in Israel. Thus, he has a firsthand understanding of the stresses and challenges of the job. He also understands why first responders might be skeptical of mental health experts.

He meets formally with each firefighter once per year. He also is available to firefighters who need more assistance.

“They can text or call anytime,” he says.

Providing firefighters with regular contact with a mental health professional builds trust and makes it easy to ask for help. The RFD is finding that staff ask for help at the early signs of trouble before issues get out of control.

Ashes’ story
The RFD also wanted to add a warmer, fuzzier component to its new mental health strategy. Generous donations from community members allowed the department to adopt Ashes in October 2023 at just eight weeks old. Ashes and her handlers train with Soldier Six, which is a nonprofit that provides specially trained dogs for veterans and first responders.

Because the RFD provides ALS in a first-response capacity, the effect of stress on the mental health of its members can be compounded. Ashes is one more way that the department tries to bring “home” to the firehouse.

In addition to providing comfort after critical incidents, Ashes hangs out with the firefighters, watches TV with them, rests between calls with them. She helps to dissipate stress that can lead to long-term physical and mental health effects. As her training continues, the goal is for her to provide comfort to individuals and families who are affected by fires and medical emergencies.

Another benefit: Ashes is the department’s most effective PR representative. She has star power, and the cameras love her. Ashes was featured on newscasts and in newspapers and newsletters.

Parents and children alike line up to pet her at community events and department open houses. This gives the members of the department a chance to engage with the people of the community and to start vital conversations about fire safety and the importance of proactive mental health efforts for the RFD’s firefighters.

Seeing the benefits
The mental health professional’s contract with the fire department costs the city about $20,000 annually. Roseville City Manager Patrick Trudgeon is confident that this proactive approach to mental health makes sense.

“It’s important that our employees are healthy and well,” Trudgeon says. “We want to be a standout workplace where our staff feels supported and connected to resources.

“It’s also important to the city from a fiscal standpoint,” he adds. “We make sure our first responders are well taken care of, so we can minimize future claims of post-traumatic stress and other workplace injuries.”

The RFD’s leadership team is seeing the benefits. It has worked to eliminate, or at the very least reduce, the stigma that’s attached to mental health in the fire station, to the point that it’s acceptable not to be OK.

Having the mental health professional on board with the organization allows easy and trusted access to a critical form of healthcare for RFD’s firefighters, much like having a physician’s assistant around to treat sprained ankles and sore backs. Ashes is yet another way that promotes health, healing and joy.