NFFF Events

Fire Service Mental Wellness and Suicide Prevention Symposium

Name: Fire Service Mental Wellness and Suicide Prevention Symposium
Start: 2025-03-19
End: 2025-03-21
Location: Renaissance Nashville Hotel

Date

Mar 19 - 21 2025

Expired!

Local Time

Timezone: America/New_York
Date: Mar 19 - 21 2025

Location

Renaissance Nashville Hotel

611 Commerce Street, Nashville, TN 37203

More Info

Organizer

First Responder Center for Excellence

Event Details

Join us in Nashville for the Fire Service Mental Wellness and Suicide Prevention Symposium — a groundbreaking event focused on mental wellness and suicide prevention in the fire service. Organized by the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) and the First Responder Center for Excellence (FRCE), this symposium is a crucial gathering for fire service professionals, mental health experts, and advocates who are dedicated to making a difference.

This symposium will explore a wide range of crucial topics, including:

Understanding the factors contributing to fire service suicide
Promoting mental health awareness and reducing stigma
Implementing comprehensive suicide prevention programs
Enhancing peer support networks
Promoting self-care and resilience
Sharing best practices and lessons learned
Advocating for change within the fire service community

$350 registration fee includes registration to the 2-day Symposium and one ticket to the Opening Reception

Hotel Accommodations

When registering, please remember to make your hotel reservation using the link provided. The special room rate is $289 per night plus tax, and reservations must be made by the cutoff date of February 19, 2025. This rate will be available for up to three days before and after the meeting block dates, depending on availability. The hotel booking link will also be included in your registration confirmation email.

If you have any questions or need assistance with your reservation, please contact the hotel directly at (615) 255-8400.

Symposium Agenda

View the Symposium Speaker Bios & Register

Wednesday, March 19, 2025

6:00 – 9:00 pm
Opening Reception at the Country Music Hall of Fame

Wednesday, March 19, 2025

8:00 – 9:00 am
Opening Ceremonies, Welcome, and Introductions
Victor Stagnaro, Chief Ernest Mitchell, Gary Krichbaum, Frank Leeb, and Chief William Swann

9:00 – 10:15 am
Keynote: Predicting vs. Explaining Suicide
Thomas Joiner, Ph.D.

A case can be made that the suicide research community focuses excessively on prediction, when other parameters of theory evaluation and clinical efforts are arguably more important. Among these is explanatory reach: Can a theory explain the mindset that precedes suicide death? Can a theory focus and guide clinical activities like risk assessment and ongoing psychotherapy for example? One theory that fares reasonably well on these kinds of questions is the interpersonal theory of suicide. An introduction to this theory will be provided, examples of its explanatory reach evaluated, and its clinical implications described.

11:00 am – 12:15 pm
What you Say Matters
Dr. Sara Jahnke & Captain Frank Leto, FDNY (Ret.)

While firefighters are exposed to a broad range of potentially traumatic events, the interactions with the community and each other are often overlooked as predictors of mental health outcomes. Further, how personnel engage during and after major incidents have strong relationships to outcomes. This presentation will focus on how engagement impacts outcomes and how personnel can positively influence outcomes.

2:15 – 3:15 pm
The Art of Intervention
Daniel DeGryse

Establishing trust and a strong connection with anyone, especially a first responder may present challenges. Dan will share insights into considerations and approaches clinicians, chaplains, peer supporters, and family will find helpful when engaging with an individual. Considerations that assist in understanding the individual, creating a space to boost the individual’s comfort level, willingness to engage, and promote trust throughout the interaction(s).

3:30 – 5:00 pm
The Keys to Developing Emotional Resilience
Ryan Munsey

Discover the proven behaviors that both contribute to, and develop, resilience in individuals and teams. You will hear the 4 critical elements that enhance hardiness and capacity so you can embrace adversity and change, manage instability, overcome and even benefit from challenges. You will also learn how to build a toolbox full of strategies to handle stress in more positive ways, reduce burnout and improve morale.

8:15 – 9:15 am
Beyond Awareness: Actionable Strategies for First Responder Resilience and Suicide Prevention
Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas

The well-being of first responders hinges on more than individual resilience—it requires transforming the environments where they work and live. This presentation shines a light on the many psychological risks faced by those who dedicate their lives to protecting others, from repeated exposure to trauma and moral injury to family strain and disrupted sleep patterns. These stressors are compounded by toxic organizational hazards and a stoic culture that discourages seeking help, increasing the risk of burnout, distress, and suicide. By addressing both individual needs and the systemic barriers that impact mental health, this session offers actionable strategies to foster resilience, create supportive workplaces, and drive meaningful cultural change in the first responder communities.

Through interactive sessions, evidence-based practices, and peer-led discussions, participants will explore upstream, midstream, and downstream strategies for promoting psychological safety, reducing bias and prejudice, and fostering resilience within first responder organizations. This symposium aims to empower leaders and responders to create actionable solutions and integrate mental health into the core of fire service culture.

9:15 – 10:15 am
The Art of the Match: Going Beyond Building Cultural Competence to Build a Therapeutic Alliance with First Responders
Kellie O’Dare, Ph.D., MSW, MPA

Building a strong therapeutic alliance with first responders requires more than just cultural competence, it requires a combination of technical expertise, cultural awareness, and the ability to foster trust and connection. Research has shown that the goodness of fit between a client and mental health provider is the most significant predictor of a successful therapeutic outcome. This session explores the “art of the match,” discussing strategies to go beyond cultural competence by focusing on trust-building, communication, and personalized care. Attendees will learn how behavioral health navigation can play a pivotal role in linking first responders with the right provider while encouraging first responders to actively participate in finding a therapeutic fit that meets their needs.

10:30 – 11:30 am
You’ve had a Suicide: Now What?
Brandon Dreiman, JD, CPRC

This presentation focuses on suicide postvention and what firefighters should do after a member suicide. The session will explore how postvention can help individuals stabilize, grieve, and grow after a suicide. Key objectives include connecting survivors with necessary services, educating them about suicide to destigmatize and normalize help-seeking behaviors, and implementing measures to prevent further suicides within the vulnerable firefighting community. Everyone should leave this discussion with the understanding that “good suicide postvention equals good suicide prevention.”

11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Prevention by Design: Engineering Better Solutions to Wicked Problems
Chief Frank Leeb & Battalion Chief Dena Ali

Mental health is an increasingly urgent priority for first responders, making it essential to address suicide prevention and promote upstream mental wellness. This course redefines the traditional approach by shifting focus from individual interventions to systemic strategies that drive meaningful change.

Participants will explore the benefits of a proactive, systems-based approach to mental health—one that addresses critical issues like depression, anxiety, PTSD, and substance use disorder, while recognizing their potential connection to suicide when left untreated.

Rather than focusing solely on individual risk factors, this course emphasizes the importance of creating supportive environments that encourage help-seeking behaviors and build resilience across the first responder community.

Participants will gain actionable tools to implement immediately, including:

Preplanning our own emergencies
The value of barriers to access
The far-reaching impact of connection and gratitude

Join us to develop skills and approaches that prioritize mental wellness at every level, ensuring first responders have the tools they need to thrive.

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