2nd Alarm Project teams up with UCF RESTORES to expand mental health services across Florida

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - Two Florida organizations focused on helping first responders cope with the trauma they experience on the job are now teaming up to expand services across the state.

The 2nd Alarm Project is now a part of UCF RESTORES, which is based at the University of Central Florida in Orlando.

WCTV recently attended one of its two-day training sessions at the FSU Police Department. “Struggle Well” helps officers navigate the trauma and tragedy they see on the job. Instructor and paramedic Steve Suarez addressed officers gathered in a second-floor conference room

“You see people going through sometimes very difficult, horrible experiences,” he said. “What’s very important is that you have a support network and that you’re nurturing that support network.”

FSU Interim Police Chief Justin Maloy commented on the session’s importance.

“It’s important for all first responders because of the things they deal with on a daily basis and over their entire career,” Maloy said. “It takes a big toll on them and their families.”

The 2nd Alarm Project offers training classes to first responders of all kinds: firefighters, police officers, sheriff’s deputies, paramedics and dispatchers. These training sessions invite first responders to talk about the things they see, the trauma they experience and to find the courage to ask for help, whether it’s from peers or professionals.

2nd Alarm Project Founder Kellie O’Dare said it’s important to empower first responders to seek support.

“They’ve recognized the need for these services and have really started to request them more and more,” O’Dare said. “Ten years ago, 20 years ago, we wouldn’t have seen things like that because there was more stigma, there was more hesitation, there was more of a closed mentality to mental wellness, but we’ve seen that culture start to shift.”

O’Dare started the 2nd Alarm Project in 2019 to help firefighters and first responders struggling in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael.

It also sends specially trained counselors to the scene of many of Florida’s biggest disasters, including hurricanes, mass shootings and the recent condo collapse in Surfside.

Tallahassee Fire Department Captain Mike Bellamy, who now also works with the 2nd Alarm Project, has been on both sides. The counseled and the counselor.

“First responders live a third of their life looking out the windshield of that fire truck or that squad car and sometimes the things you see, you can’t un-see, and the only ones that understand that are the ones working alongside each other,” Bellamy said. “To go in during a disaster, and just say, ‘Hey,’ put a hand on a shoulder and say, ‘Hey I’ve been there, I know what you’re going through,’ is a lifeline for first responders. It really is a game-changer.”

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Now the 2nd Alarm Project is teaming up with UCF RESTORES to offer treatment, counseling and training on a bigger scale.

“In some areas, there were a lot of services and in other areas of the state there were less services, so to be able to standardize some of that is a huge opportunity,” O’Dare said.

UCF RESTORES Executive Director Deborah Beidel said the goal is to include as many first responders as possible.

“With the addition of the 2nd Alarm Project and its robust resources, we’re building on that foundation to ensure that no first responder faces the challenges of their job alone,” Beidel said.

The two organizations have already counseled or trained more than 10,000 first responders. Now that they have joined forces, they hope that number continues to rise.

The 2nd Alarm Project offers a free app to help first responders and public safety agencies find out more about the services available.

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