2024 ANNUAL REPORT - Final

77

EMERGENCY SERVICES

Behavioral Health Program

Firefighting is a stressful and demanding profession. DFRS recognizes that firefighters experience unique stressors and offers specialized support and services to assist with these stressors. As a routine part of the job, firefighters are exposed to highly stressful, demanding situations. While our firefighters are well-trained to handle the demands of the job, stress and trauma can pile up. We want firefighters to be proactive about their wellness, including their behavioral health, throughout their career. DFRS offers a spectrum of services to promote and support behavioral health, including a full-time Behavioral Health Coordinator and a Peer Support Team. The behavioral health program background and programmatic highlights for the BHC and Peer Support Team are discussed below. In April 2022, DFRS hired a Behavioral Health Coordinator (BHC) to continue efforts to promote behavioral health, wellness, and resilience in our firefighters and their families. The BHC position exists through an innovative partnership between DFRS and The Frederick County Health Department. Administratively, the BHC falls under the umbrella of the Frederick County Health Department and does not report to anyone within the Fire and Rescue chain of command. The BHC is a licensed mental health professional providing education, consultation, support, short-term counseling, behavioral health care coordination, referrals to vetted clinicians and other resources, and follow-up. The BHC also provides clinical oversight to the DFRS Peer Support Team. These services are in addition to but are not a replacement for, already available services, including the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and private, community-based resources. All services are free to DFRS staff, volunteers, and their immediate family members. Services are voluntary, strictly confidential, and available at no cost to DRFS staff, volunteers, and their immediate family members. The goal of the behavioral health program is to support and enhance the wellness of DFRS. This is accomplished through education, resource curation, and delivering clinical behavioral health services. While clinical services following difficult calls are an important piece of the services this program provides, they are not exhaustive. Individual contacts, including consultation, assessment, triage, counseling, referral, case management and follow up, and relationship development with staff is foundational and critical. • In collaboration with the Frederick County Health Department, created and implemented necessary policies and procedures for program delivery. • Established and maintained simple, clear modes of accessing the BHC. We recognize that having the fewest steps for getting assistance, accessibility, and flexibility is critical. The BHC promptly answers all requests for assistance directly. • Served over 250 firefighters and their families. • Delivered hundreds of clinical contact hours, including education, assessment, individual counseling, referrals, and follow-up. Behavioral Health Coordinator (BHC) Behavioral Health Program Highlights :

77