U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) have introduced the Lifeline for First Responders Act (S.4819), bipartisan legislation to better support the mental health needs of firefighters, EMS personnel, and emergency dispatchers. This bill would establish a $7.5 million grant program to support first responder mental health, stress reduction, family services, and suicide prevention. Entities eligible to receive grants would include fire, EMS, and 911 dispatch centers. Grants could be used for ‘‘(1) evidence-based stress reduction and mental health services; (2) suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention services; (3) confidential counseling, peer support, and behavioral health services; (4) family support services for spouses and children; and (5) outreach, stigma reduction, education, training, and technical assistance.” APCO will follow the progress of this bill.
