When you say “first responder” to most people, they think police and fire, but really there’s someone before them. It’s the person who answers that 911 call, the voice who calms, instructors, and sends for help: the dispatcher. Voices in the Dark Tracy Eldridge spent over 25 years in public safety in Massachusetts. She was the voice in the dark, hearing everything, unable to reach through the phone physically but talking through instructions and dispatching responders needed for each call. She understands the nature of the job and why it’s a different type of trauma. Dispatchers may not be phy ..read more

April is National Donate Life month, a time to raise awareness of organ donation and share information about how one person can save up to eight lives. FRC is doing its part to spread the word. As a first responder, you’re the pivot point between life and death on some calls. When it doesn’t work out, there may still be a chance to save a life, or a few. The sooner EMS identifies an organ donor, the more viable those organs are for transplant to a patient in dire need. Let’s look at some facts about organ donation and then see what you can do to help save even more lives. Organ Donat ..read more

April is National Donate Life month, a time to raise awareness of organ donation and share information about how one person can save up to eight lives. FRC is doing its part to spread the word. As a first responder, you’re the pivot point between life and death on some calls. When it doesn’t work out, there may still be a chance to save a life, or a few. The sooner EMS identifies an organ donor, the more viable those organs are for transplant to a patient in dire need. Let’s look at some facts about organ donation and then see what you can do to help save even more lives. Organ Donation: 10 ..read more

It’s a common scene. You’re off duty, hanging out with your buddies and throwing back a few beers. Or maybe you’re off a hard shift and unwind with a drink at home. A casual drink doesn’t classify as alcoholism, but it becomes the excuse for those falling too far down that road. “I’m just hanging with the guys.” But you pound beer after beer faster than them and then drink more when you’re home. You hardly remember the night and who was there. “I’m just unwinding after a long shift.” But you’re drinking like a fish, all alone, and tossing once-full empty bottles, half-missing the barrel. If an ..read more

We’re capping off this military-themed month with a slew of military resources for families and soldiers you may not have heard about. We promote the more urgent needs all the time, like the Veterans Crisis Line (dial 988, then press 1), but how many others do you know? Military Resources We’ll keep it organized so you can find what applies to you. For Those Deployed Soldiers Angels — When you register for Deployed Support through Soldiers Angels, you receive support from a dedicated Angel volunteer for the entire duration of your deployment. Your support includes monthly letters, care package ..read more

You’re wrestling with decisions and hoping to move forward. You realize you need help but aren’t sure who to ask. It’s about navigating coaching and therapy and you don’t know which is right for you. We’re here to help. There’s a time for coaching and a time for clinical therapy. We’ve dropped some tips to get you started so you receive the right support and get on your way to your goals. Ready to sort out what’s best for you? Let’s go. Life Coaching Life coaching is a growing field with specialties popping up all over. Here at FRC, we specialize in coaching first responders and military, but ..read more

Today, we’re diving into the other side of first responder life. And since we’re focusing on our military this month, we’re getting an inside look at what it’s like to be a military spouse. Our friend is Paula, Navy wife and mom of three. She and her husband have been married for twelve years and going strong, but it hasn’t been easy. FRC asks what it’s like, how moving around affects their relationship and family life, and how they stay level through all the ups and downs of military life. FRC: Set us up. What’s the broad view of your life as a military spouse? Paula: We’re a Navy family. My ..read more

When you think of first responders, it’s often law enforcement, firefighters, and EMS, but we’d like to acknowledge another much larger group: our military. March is home to many military celebrations: Army Enlisted Medical Corp Anniversary (1st), \US Navy Reserve Birthday (3rd), Navy Seabees Birthday (5th), American Legion Birthday (15th), and National Medal of Honor Day (25th)… just to name a few. We’re shifting the focus from our local heroes to our men and women who support us near and far, our military. The biggest challenge our military men and women face is what most look forward to, an ..read more

These days, podcasts are the new books. We listen to them while driving, running, cooking, and more. Books are great, but podcasts are the trend. If you’re looking for a good one, The Resilient Responder is a solid win for the first responder community. Founding SCARS Inc. Just over a year ago, Dylan Oliveto, Josh Hagan, and Patrick Clark put together SCARS Inc. to respond to the mental health crisis facing first responders everywhere. “I wracked my brain for a long time about how to promote mental health in our profession,” Dylan explained in their first podcast, “and not just EMS and Fire bu ..read more

Photo by Icons8 Team on Unsplash. Communication is at the core of our survival, a necessity no matter your job or lifestyle. Our ability to communicate, and how well we do it, largely determine our success. You’re on the road and you need to tell your partner something but suddenly you only speak Russian. You try to tell him about the next call but he doesn’t understand a word you say. How effective is this call going to be? Will you even be able to do your job? What if there were an emergency? Even when we speak the same language, we may struggle with communication. Wouldn’t it be nice to be ..read more