Ambulance service personnel are nearly twice as likely as the general population to experience mental ill-health. Family and friends often provide most of the practical and emotional support to paramedics. Therefore, they are vital to improving paramedics’ mental health and wellbeing. The new Minds Together program by Everymind is developed in collaboration with family and friends supporting a paramedic with mental ill-health or suicidal distress. The program is online, free and self-paced and aims to provide practical ways to help family and friends: Strengthen their coping and communi ..read more

The Board were very pleased to listen to Vince Pannell recently who leads the effort to organise the Heart 2 Heart Walk in recognition of the impacts on First Responder mental health and wellbeing of serving and retired (veteran) and families of First Responders. This charity walk is to occur next year (July – September 2023) and will seek to gain commitment from the Federal Government to implement all 14 recommendations from the 2019 Australian Senate Inquiry: ‘The people behind 000: mental health of our first responders’, and specifically into First Responder Suicide, Post-Traumatic Stress D ..read more

The Rotary Emergency Services /Community Awards (RESCA) are held annually, to recognise specific emergency services personnel for their contribution in service to the community. Rotary districts from across NSW are gathering nominations commencing from 15th March 2022. The Shoalhaven Emergency Services Community Awards (SESCA) recognise the efforts and hard work of volunteer and career emergency first responders, is a part of this process. It is a great opportunity to put forward someone you know for the incredible selfless service they have provided to the community in which they live. Nomina ..read more

Congratulations to all the volunteer emergency first responders who received Australia Day Awards today for their service to community. Well deserved recognition! In addition Shane Fitzsimmons was awarded an AO (Officer of the Order of Australia), for the leadership demonstrated as NSW Fire Commissioner during the bushfires of 2019-2020. In accepting the award he said “… I was in awe of the remarkable effort led by our volunteers through what was an unprecedented fire season”. Valmai Dempsey, from Canberra, was announced as the 2022 Senior Australian of the Year for her unwavering service and ..read more

The AFRF, through the FRESHER program, is about building mental health resilience in our volunteer emergency first responders. Building the capacity of the community to rebuild after a major incident is often the focus, however we should not forget about the hidden injuries that can surface in those exposed to the trauma, such as haunting memories, feelings of hopelessness, depression, a short temper and other signs that may arise. Resilience is not just about physically getting back to where you were – it is also about recovering and strengthening the mindset, having a rational perspective, b ..read more

Our sincere condolences to the family and close friends of the volunteer killed when a tree fell on the CFA fire truck while battling the fires at Coles in SA on January 21. Another firefighter was seriously injured in the same incident and is receiving treatment. The community, and in particular the crew, will be devastated by the loss. These incidents highlight the risks that emergency service volunteers sign up for when they join these community organisations. They run towards the danger to protect the community in which they live. Such incidents can bring to the fore the vulnerabilities in ..read more

The AFRF is excited to announce that we have secured a new date for our FRESHER retreat to be hosted at Kooindah Waters Resort near Wyong. on the Central Coast. Our highly successful FRESHER retreat at this beautiful location is now open for emergency first responders on Friday 17th June to Sunday 19th June 2022! Get in early – apply as soon as you can so you do not miss out. Share this post with your peers, colleagues and networks of first responders, even if you cannot get there. Reset, reframe, recharge, reconnect, relax at Kooindah Waters. FRESHER, the course, and the accommodation at the ..read more

This interview with Dr Erin Smith is #8 in the series. We hope you find they provide useful information and background that you can relate to. Dr Erin Smith has extensive experience teaching and researching within the multidisciplinary fields of prehospital and disaster response. She has recently commenced as the CEO at DART Centre Asia Pacific Monash University. The Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma is a resource centre and global network of journalists, journalism educators and health professionals dedicated to improving media coverage of trauma, conflict and tragedy. It is a project of ..read more

Check out the happy campers, snaps and reflections on the two weekend FRESHER Retreats at Sylvan Glen. Interested in attending: the AFRF is happy to announce another FRESHER weekend at Kooindah Waters near Wyong. Can’t make it – spread the word! Your colleagues may benefit. Sylvan Glen Reflections Sylvan Glen Day 1: Nov 5-7 Sylvan Glen Day 2: Nov 5-7 Sylvan Glen Day 3: Nov 5-7 Sylvan Glen Day 1: Nov 12-14 Sylvan Glen Day 2: Nov 12-14 Sylvan Glen Day 3: Nov 12-14 Recognising Rotary and supporters of the AFRF at Sylvan Glen and here The post FRESHER Weekend appeared first on Australian First Res ..read more

This interview with Toby Cowern is #7 in the series. We hope you can obtain some useful insights and relate to the content. Toby Cowern is an international expert in wilderness survival and nature immersion. Toby is based in Scandinavia and leads a busy life delivering wilderness and urban survival skills training. He undertakes coaching and conducting immersion camps and seminars aimed at stress management. The AFRF has relied on Toby’s expertise and experiences in helping guide the development of our FRESHER Retreat program for volunteer emergency first responders. The importance of building ..read more