Conference Presentations
Wellness on the Front Line™ 2024
Save the date: October 15-18, 2024
Presentations are in alphabetical order by Presenter’s last name.
Click here to view Presenter bios.
PRESENTED BY: John Ades
PRESENTATION TITLE
The PTS Complex- Healing from a Brain Perspective
DESCRIPTION
In May of 2023, John enrolled in Buds Odyssey after seeking remedies for severe insomnia and other ailments. The results were astounding and life altering for John giving him answers to question that would have otherwise gone unanswered. John is passionate about the program and believes that this program is essential for any first responder/military wellness/resilience program.
PRESENTED BY: Victor Aguirre
PRESENTATION TITLE
“Boyd Street” Incident
DESCRIPTION
On Saturday, May 16, 2020, at around 18:38 hours, twelve (12) firefighters from the Los Angeles City Fire Department (LAFD) sustained injuries during a catastrophic fire incident at a one-story commercial structure fire located at 327 East Boyd Street in the Skid Row area of downtown Los Angeles. A sudden fire phenomenon occurred with little warning, engulfing firefighters in a significant and prolonged fireball. This event occurred as they were descending an aerial ladder and abandoning ventilation operations, while several others were retreating from interior fire attack positions.
The incident is presented in a three-part series, walking attendees through the timeline of events, the ongoing fire suppression efforts, and the harrowing mayday event. These perspectives are shared through personal video recordings and official incident communications, providing an immersive experience as seen through the eyes of the firefighters involved. The ensuing discussions cover the risk management tools utilized and the valuable lessons gleaned from the incident. The presentation culminates with an exploration of the firefighter recovery process, encompassing the cumulative behavioral health effects endured. Finally, recommendations are offered to support firefighters in a holistic approach to recovery following such traumatic events.
PRESENTED BY: Ashlea Barnaby
PRESENTATION TITLE
Cultivating Healthy First Responder Relationships: Less Conflict and More Love
DESCRIPTION
We were so in love, have so much in common, and are both intelligent. Why isn’t this working?” In the demanding realm of first responders, maintaining healthy intimate relationships is crucial for overall well-being and effectiveness. This presentation explores the unique challenges faced by first responders in their personal lives and offers practical strategies for cultivating strong, supportive intimate relationships. Participants will gain insights into courageous love and self-acceptance, effective communication, managing stress, and rituals of connection. Through interactive discussions and evidenced-based techniques, attendees will learn how to foster intimacy, trust, and resilience in their relationships.
PRESENTED BY: Dianne Bernhard
PRESENTATION TITLE
Responding to Tragedy in Your Agency
DESCRIPTION
When tragedy strikes an agency, whether a line-of-duty death, suicide or a non-duty-related death of an officer, the agency needs to be prepared to respond in support of the officer’s family and the officer’s affected co-workers. It is important to have a prepared response that will provide the support needed for the family and the agency. In this course, the instructor will share recommendations on preparing for tragedy and in responding should the unimaginable happen in your agency.
PRESENTED BY: Molly Day and Wendy Mortier
PRESENTATION TITLE
Taking Care of Our Own – USDA Forest Service
DESCRIPTION
Taking Care of Our Own – USDA Forest Service” – Wildland firefighters and those working in support positions in the wildland fire industry endure a unique set of public safety challenges. Widespread wildfires can ravish the communities the firefighters live in, they often work while they and their families are evacuated from their homes, they lack the human connection, facility dogs, breaking of bread together and natural processing for traumatic events that is built in at municipal departments, they often reside in very remote locations with little or no resources for self-care and resilience and the stigma surrounding mental health is great. Suicide rates, divorce and addiction soar in this community. Wendy and Molly are Casualty Assistance and Critical Incident Stress Management Program Coordinators working to provide tools to combat these stressors, and build resilience in the wildland fire service, while working to honor those that serve. They will share how they Take Care of their Own.
PRESENTED BY: Egan de los Cobos
PRESENTATION TITLE
Mental Health=Physical Health
DESCRIPTION
Egan’s journey began in 2013 after a near-death accident with his then 3-year-old son when they were struck by a vehicle while sitting in front of a coffee shop. Miraculously there were no major injuries at the time but this event triggered a cascade of debilitating physical and mental health issues for years to come.
Only after years of suffering and hitting a breaking point, he was forced to address his mental health which ultimately was the turning point in his life to begin to heal not only mentally, but also his physical health issues of autoimmune psoriatic arthritis that were triggered by the accident. Months turned into years of learning, reading, studying, and diving into the mind, brain, gut connection lit a fire in Egan to heal from the inside out and is now virtually symptom-free. He believes wholeheartedly in post-traumatic growth and his journey fueled his passion for his role on his Peer Support Team, and training his fellow firefighters in Stress First Aid and resilience.
He is also a Certified Evidence-Based Health Coach and Gut Health Nutrition Specialist which provides him with a renewed purpose for helping those who may be struggling in silence like he was for so long and help avoid the pitfalls he made.
PRESENTED BY: Dr. Douglas DiSiena
PRESENTATION TITLE
The PTS Complex- Healing from a Brain Perspective
DESCRIPTION
Coming soon.
PRESENTED BY: Michael Federico
PRESENTATION TITLE
Why Not – A Perspective of 20 Years from Peer Support Officer to Police Chief
DESCRIPTION
Over the decades of public safety peer support we were trying to get programs, protocols, and funding approved from administration, while at the same time trying to change culture in the organization. Asking “Why Not?” when we were told no.
We as an industry did it! You did it! However, there are still more challenges to consider. Why not create “compassionate leave” time banks so employees can take time off for traumas, substance treatment, and more without losing all their bank time or going on leave without pay. Why not allow peer supporters and other compassionate members of your organization to handle IOD – Injury On Duty treatment paths and authorizations instead of putting it in the hands of entities outside of your organization. Instead of discipline, why not allow a department head or manager to assign the troubled employee to peer support. AN assigned peer supporter can then help the employee do some self-evaluation and find resources to change their behavior and better their life and the organization.
A presentation on “why not” will leave you with ideas to take back to your organization and ask, “Why not have these programs and protocols here?”
PRESENTED BY: Jack Harris
PRESENTATION TITLE
Peer Support’s Role in Helping Keep Good People Good
DESCRIPTION
Even before traumatic events, emergency services personnel are exposed to subtle day-to-day pressures and demands, which can devastate even the most experienced and capable people. This presentation will highlight the important role peer support can play in early intervention and prevention, and how peer support is an essential part of an organization’s employee
PRESENTED BY: Travis Howze
PRESENTATION TITLE
Post Traumatic Purpose
DESCRIPTION
Post Traumatic Purpose is the Life Changing Mental Health Movement that brings awareness to all Military Personnel, Veterans, First Responders, Jailers, Dispatchers, Health Care workers and their family members through hard transparent relatability. Not your typical check in the box wellness training, Post Traumatic Purpose is Real, Raw, Emotionally Energizing and Highly Engaging. It is designed to stimulate positive growth at the individual, professional and family level through ownership, acceptance, humor and motivation.
PRESENTED BY: Robert and Carolyn Jahn
PRESENTATION TITLE
Lesson Learned: Critical Incidents and Family Support
DESCRIPTION
On October 18, 2018, five years into his career, Robert was shot in the line of duty. Robert will discuss the incident, the healing process, and available resources when dealing with traumatic experiences. With Carolyn’s medical background she was instrumental in Robert’s recovery. She can provide a unique insight into the challenges while at the hospital and during recovery. They will discuss Robert’s new role at the sheriff’s department and how Carolyn has been instrumental in assisting families. Together they developed some simple yet impactful plans and procedures that have been utilized for the past couple of years to better serve families involved in critical incidents.
PRESENTED BY: Sam Kabert
PRESENTATION TITLE
SOUL/Life Balance: The Practice to go from Stressed & Overwhelmed to Energized & Fulfilled!
DESCRIPTION
Have you experienced burnout? Let’s be real, we all have to some extent. The shocking truth is that it’s more than just burnout. Today’s workforce is stressed, sad and anxious. It’s gotten so bad, that in July of 2022 the numbers 988 are designated as the new three-digit dialing code that easily routes callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. It’s time we put our own Mental Health as the number one priority – in business, in education, in all of our relationships.
Work/Life Balance can help, but what this model doesn’t address is one’s own “inner compass”. Burnout and being caught on the hamster wheel of achieving goals and chasing success is a result of prioritizing your work over truly connecting with yourself.
The burnout mind encourages neglecting time for mental health and well-being. The practice of SOUL/Life Balance puts one’s own mental health as the #1 priority while reframing work as a part of being a human. By implementing SOUL/Life Balance as a way of being, you’ll experience first hand how to optimize all aspects of life, including your work. You’ll be equipped with tools to enable mindful practices for more energy and fulfillment in your everyday life!
Addressing the Mental Health Crisis we are facing as a collective is imperative and the practice of SOUL/Life Balance offers a clear path to relieve burnout, stress, anxiety and overall sadness. In this session, you’ll also learn the most effective ways to regulate your nervous system through practical breathwork exercises and the science that backs it up!
PRESENTED BY: Dr. Cherylynn Lee
PRESENTATION TITLE
Finding the solution starts with understanding the problem. How do you know when you’re not okay?
DESCRIPTION
As a first responder, whether a dispatcher, cop, firefighter, EMT or correctional deputy, your job is to solve problems. You are trained for that mission and execute that mission with integrity, resolve and compassion. What about when you don’t know what the problem is- or what if the problem is you? The first step to feeling better is knowing when you are not okay. You need to be aware. In the context of calls for service we call this situational awareness- in the context of your own life- we call it self awareness. This presentation will help highlight the indicators of Post Traumatic Stress Injury (PTIS) in first responders and provide context for where they come from. events.
PRESENTED BY: Cerena Lewis
PRESENTATION TITLE
The Comm in the Storm
DESCRIPTION
The stress of the people behind the scenes. How we take call after call one after the other with no way to decompress after each call. We listen to some of the worst things imaginable and you can get a call one minute having to do CPR on a baby not breathing and not even have the chance to decompress and the very next call right after is someone reporting a cat in a tree. We more often than not get closure on what happens to our calls. When I first started there wasn’t that much emphasis on getting help for dispatchers. So if there’s anything I can do to normalize seeking mental help.
I will do it, which then in turn was asked to be a part of the Peer Support Team! I’ve been a proud member for 4 years.
PRESENTED BY: Andrea Moore
PRESENTATION TITLE
Understanding My Resilience
DESCRIPTION
After a major on-duty life-threatening event I found myself continuing to fight mentally for the years to follow. I soon realized there’s no finish line when it comes to your mental health. I will be openly discussing the event itself and the after effects, to include a PTSD diagnosis. My experience took me on a journey towards better understanding as to why I was doing the things I was doing. I tell my story with the goal of encouraging others to get curious and honest with themselves, I find this crucial in surviving a career as first responder.
PRESENTED BY: Gus Moreno
PRESENTATION TITLE
Changing the Stigma from Recovery to Resilience
DESCRIPTION
Being a police officer for 23 years and having been involved and exposed to many critical incidents, cumulative trauma, including officer deaths and suicide took a toll on my mental health. The on and off duty life and work struggles caused me to cope with alcohol. Ultimately after nearly losing my job and life, I reached out to professional help for treatment. It was truly lifesaving. I was the first at our department to go to a recovery program. Four years post treatment, I have maintained sobriety and I have made it a commitment to sharing my life story to break the stigma against asking for help by first responders. I have been a part of our peer support program for approximately 10 years, and I recently became a wellness coordinator leader at my department. I have assisted with departmental mental health/wellness trainings for officers and new hires. I also facilitate our newly created First Responder Fellowship meetings for our officers. The ability to thrive from adversity and be resilient has been made a huge difference in my life and future.
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