Casper Fire

(Shutterstock)

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger of harming themselves, please call 911. If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts, call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or text "WYO" to 741-741 for the Crisis Text Line.

CASPER, Wyo. — On Tuesday, the Casper City Council heard some updates from both the Casper Fire-EMS Department and the Casper Police Department regarding efforts to support the mental health of first responders in the community.

Cameron Siplon, Casper Fire-EMS deputy chief for operations and training, told the City Council that of the variety of support services available to firefighters, a peer support group seems to be the most often utilized. That peer support group is a partnership between the Casper Firefighters – IAFF Local 904 and the Casper Fire-EMS Department, Siplon said.

The peer support group includes five firefighters who have been trained to act as peer support points of contact for others in the department. While these five firefighters are not trained as therapists, they act as advocates who can help refer a firefighter to different therapies and resources available to them.

As peers to other firefighters, the five firefighters are able to offer non-judgmental and non-punitive support, Siplon said. He noted that two of the firefighters in particular are very highly respected among their peers.

"They are busy," Siplon said. "A lot of people like talking to them because they are comfortable. … They can make direct referrals to other services available."

More formal training could help enhance the peer support group available to firefighters, Siplon said. In terms of its usage, about 60% of Casper Fire-EMS employees at least contacted the peer support group when it was first established. That percentage is now at around 40% of Fire-EMS employees who actively use the support available, he said.

While the peer support group is probably the most used resource available to Casper firefighters, there are other services available, Siplon said. That includes a long-established Employee Family Assistance Program that offers city employees counseling services. There are also insurance-funded mental health services available to firefighters, Siplon noted.

One of the relatively new resources being rolled out to support City of Casper employees is a Cordico Wellness App. As this relates to Casper Fire-EMS, Siplon said the app will act as a repository of the various mental health services available to employees. As an app on their phones, Cordico will be able to serve as a "one-stop shop" pointing to the range of services available, he said.

Casper Fire-EMS has also recently formed a new wellness team that will assess what areas of health and wellness the department is addressing and what areas it might be missing.

"We just look at little things we can do that are missing," Siplon said.

Siplon is also working on a new therapy dog program. While this is in the development phase, he said there is a local trainer who is donating training to make licensed therapy dogs available to support Casper firefighters.

Captain Richard Brown, who runs the Casper Police Department's ministry and mental health subsections, also spoke to the City Council during its pre-meeting work session on Tuesday.

Brown said he is working on a variety of ways to improve mental health and other support for not only officers but also other employees like dispatch and retired officers. He added that there is an obvious need to find ways to offer such support.

"It is no mystery, three first responder suicides in a one-year period shows the definitive need for mental health," Brown told the City Council. "The problem is systemic and is a problem that needs to be handled immediately."

The support available to Casper Police Department employees includes a peer support team both for sworn officers and civilian staff, Brown told the City Council. Peer support team members have been voted on by their peers, Brown noted.

There are also counselors, a psychologist, doctors and clergy that have been identified as able to offer support to Casper PD employees.

Brown is working to identify more counselors and other mental and physical health professionals and which of these professionals in the community are most successful in working with first responders and their families.

Brown highlighted the work of Shane Harkins, MSW, LCSW for the quality of support he has been able to provide not only to police officers themselves but also to the department as it seeks to find ways to enhance the mental health support it provides.

"Shane Harkins is definitely going to get an award from the Casper Police Department," Brown said. "He's done us numerous favors."

Brown said his goal is to build up a group of counselors that not only Casper PD employees but also first responders with other agencies across the community can rely on for support.

He's also requesting $100,000 for the Casper PD from a grant available to support first responder and law enforcement mental health efforts. $25,000 of that funding would go toward the Casper PD hosting a statewide mental health conference in 2023. The funding would also support trainings and peer support services from several professionals.

Brown's presentation included a range of other information about efforts he's engaging in to develop a robust mental health support system for Casper PD employees and retirees. The City Council was also set to hear from the Municipal Court as to what services are made available to employees working in that area, but there was not enough time during the pre-meeting work session as the regular meeting was slated to start at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

The presentations from Siplon and Brown can be heard toward the beginning of the following video of Tuesday evening's pre-meeting work session and regular City Council meeting:

Share this: