Mental Health for Public Safety

Gordon Graham here with Today’s Tip from Lexipol. Today’s Tip is for public safety and it deals with mental health issues and getting help when we need it. 

Learn to recognize the warning signs.

The things that firefighters, law enforcement, EMS, and custody personnel see can be disturbing. We can carry the burden of these gruesome and saddening scenes with us for a long time.  

There is a crisis in public safety. Not enough first responders are reaching out for help and too many are committing suicide.  

But there are things we can all do to improve the situation.  

Read about the things that can contribute to mental health issues.  

Learn to recognize the warning signs. This will make sure you can help when a coworker is in need. It will also make sure you’ll know when it’s time for you to talk to someone.  

Get comfortable talking about mental health issues.  

Encourage those around you to ask for help. Actively create a culture where asking for help is not seen as a sign of unacceptable weakness. 

There are many good resources out there. Safe Call Now is one. It is a confidential, comprehensive, 24-hour crisis referral service. It is for everyone in public safety and their families too.  

The more we learn, the more we talk, the more people get help, the better we will all be. 

And that’s Today’s Tip from Lexipol. 

Gordon Graham, signing off. 

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