What We Do
Safety Forces Support Center
The Safety Forces Support Center provides free confidential mental health, crisis intervention services, and training to active and retired first responders and their families. Its purpose is to: 1) improve their physical and mental health; 2) to have well trained, supported first responder departments; and 3) improve the effectiveness of safety forces personnel and agencies overall. SFSC provides services primarily in Summit County, but also serves Portage, Stark, Medina, Cuyahoga and Wayne Counties when requested. Its training programs are also offered to mental health professionals and chaplains.
The Safety Forces Support Center provides specialized support focusing on the unique job stressors that law enforcement, fire, EMS and dispatch personnel experience, which can have significant impact on their physical, mental, and emotional health. The highly specialized roster of services and interventions are provided, at no cost, to active and retired first responders and their families, and to safety forces departments includes:
- Confidential individual and couples mental health counseling;
- Substance abuse intervention;
- Professional education for department academies and the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy;
- Emergency response and intervention for critical incidents (e.g. an active shooting incident, a police shooting, or multiple deaths as a result of a fire);
- Material assistance;
- Chaplaincy services; and
- Year-end Holiday activities.
Overall, 2018 was a successful and hugely productive year for SFSC. Despite the transition challenges, the collaboration with the Greenleaf Family Center worked well to fill counseling needs, and there was no break in service. Other achievements included an increase in the number of people served (up 16% from 2017); and operational systems and data collection/management improvements. Following is a summary of services provided in 2018.
- Approximately 120 emergency interventions in response to critical incidents including shootings, drownings, deaths of children, fatal fires, and other highly stressful situations;
- Free, confidential mental health counseling and services for at least 40 safety force personnel members and their families (provided by SFSC staff or through referrals to Greenleaf Family Center). Many referrals required multiple sessions per family or safety force member;
- Professional training for 841 individuals including 1) personnel at police and fire departments, the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy, and new fire and police recruits; and 2) police, fire, EMS, dispatch, and mental health professionals, and chaplains attending the 2-day Critical Incident Stress Management training and credentialing;
- Chaplaincy services were provided as needed;
- Approximately $4,000 in material emergency assistance was distributed; and
- 75 gift baskets were delivered to retired and disabled police and fire personnel and widows; and 250 active safety personnel were served a holiday meal on Christmas Eve.
Recent Critical Incidents in which SFSC was involved
SFSC provides critical incident debriefings to safety forces personnel weekly. Over the past few years SFSC counselors have provided assistance during numerous traumatic incidents including house fires with multiple fatalities, traumatic responses involving child fatalities, abuse, suicides, neglect, hostage situations, officer involved shootings, motor vehicle accidents with traumatic injuries and fatalities.
