Recent research has shown that first responders are exposed to an alarming rate of potentially traumatic events and are at a significantly higher risk for experiencing PTSD, Substance Abuse, Family Conflict, and other mental/behavioral health-related complications.

The mission of the Nashville Fire Department’s Peer Support program is to support our members, reduce the negative stigma surrounding mental healthcare within the fire service, and promote a positive department culture that focuses on our personnel and their ability to thrive as individuals, family members, and exceptional public servants.

Our Peer Support program is constantly striving to achieve this goal by providing members with mental/behavioral health resources, education, training, a department behavioral health clinician, and volunteers within the fire department who are trained in supporting our members who need help obtaining mental health resources such as referrals for counseling services, crisis de-escalation, training in recognizing the signs and symptoms of PTSD following a potentially traumatic incident, and much more.