On this episode, Bonnie and David speak with Michele Giorgianni, First Responder Liaison at Aware Recovery Care and  Jason Palamara, Director of Veteran & First Responder Engagement at Forge VFR. Our topic:  Substance Abuse Disorder treatments for First Responders.

AWARE offers home-based recovery care including in-home withdrawal management, and Forge offers evidence-based, trauma-informed outpatient treatment programs and Telehealth services. Both providers have programs designed specifically for First Responders.

We answer these questions:

2NDGO: Creating Community and Purpose for Veterans and Responders

On this episode, we’ll be speaking with Nick Nunnally, USCG (ret), City of Danbury Firefighter and Plank Owner of 2NDGO.org

Nick will be talking about transitioning from one purpose to another and creating a community that lasts after your career is over. 2NDGO, a veteran owned and operated company, is teaching military veterans and first responders how to be more resilient in their everyday lives.

Building Morale Through Positive, Proactive Leadership in Emergency Services

On this episode, we’ll be speaking with John Lynch, Town of Wilton, CT Chief of Police & Emergency Management Director, and Nick Paproski, Director Of ALS Operations at Vintech Management Services, about what you can do to become an engaged, proactive leader.

Responder Relationships: Challenges and Solutions Guests: Firefighter’s spouse Caryn Czarnecki and responder therapist Linda Rost, LCSW.

⫸ On this episode, we’ll be speaking about resilience for first responder relationships. Caryn Czarnecki has been married to a career firefighter for twenty years, and will share the many unique challenges that come with being a spouse of a first responder. We’ll review some of the real life issues faced by first responder spouses, along with some solutions.

COPLine: The 24/7 Helpline for Police and Their Families

Cops understand Cops. COPLine is a confidential, 24 hour, toll free helpline for law enforcement professionals and their families that is answered by retired police officers. For the past 20 years COPLine has served as a resource to help law enforcement cope with the stresses of the job.

The organization's goal is to answer calls from law enforcement officers and their families who are facing a variety of issues, including stress, depression, marital problems, alcoholism and suicide.