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Peer support team created to help
first re­sponders

PUBLIC SAFETY Peer support team created to help first re­sponders By Camille DeLongis Saratoga County PUBLISHED 7:25 AM ET Dec. 12, 2022

Being a first responder is hard work, and the job can take a huge toll on a person’s mental health. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, first responders experience elevated levels of anxiety, depression, PTSD, suicidal ideation and attempts, addiction, and divorce. One county in New York is working to address these issues with the formation of a new, multi-agency Peer Support Team. In Saratoga County, a trained team of 50 first responders, across multiple agencies and responder disciplines, can now offer peer-to-peer support.

“You have to separate yourself from what’s going on. It’s a defense mechanism that we use, but unfortunately, it all catches up to you … Some people are really good at dealing with stress, some people need a little bit of help,” said Clifton Park Halfmoon EMS Paramedic Supervisor Christopher Congero. The county is also offering group support, bringing in mental health professionals to assist after large-scale traumatic incidents. “We think that the model we built is going to be a lot more sustainable, productive and more efficient than a traditional model which is just based in a department and doesn’t have a lot of mental health involvement,” said Saratoga County EMS Coordinator Mike McEvoy.

McEvoy has been in emergency services for three decades. “If you go back 30 years ago, it was almost as though you’re not really injured unless there is a bullet sticking out of you … Today, I think we recognize that everything we’re involved in has a certain stress level,” said McEvoy. McEvoy says while it’s not every day you’re responding to a traumatic incident, the less severe calls have an impact, too. “We’re always dealing with problems, always being called to solve somebody else’s problem that they can’t solve. That in itself is stressful,” said McEvoy. McEvoy says mental health intervention is critical to keeping first responders both employed and alive. “When you look at causes of death for anyone in public safety, more paramedics, firefighters and police officers die of suicide every year, than die from work-related injuries,” said McEvoy.

Saratoga County officials say during the Peer Support Team’s pilot, they held critical incident debriefings at five agencies and provided individual support to more than 20 people who responded to calls involving fatalities and first responder suicide. If you need help, you can call the suicide and crisis lifeline at 988.