Grab your coffee and join us for Grounded, a candid, real-time Live gathering for first responders from all walks—fire, EMS, law enforcement, emergency management, and beyond.

In the field, we find moments of connection during cafecito breaks. Grounded brings that same energy online: open conversations, honest experiences, and shared grounding moments among those who understand the job best.

We’re celebrating EMS Week, which marks the 50th anniversary of National EMS Week.

The motto, ‘Honoring Our Past, Forging Our Future,’ encapsulates this momentous occasion perfectly. This week, we recognize the incredible contributions of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) professionals and express our deepest gratitude for their lifesaving work.

In the spirit of ‘Honoring Our Past for a Healthy Future,’

Today’s podcast features discussions on the importance of mental health for first responders and disaster survivors. We aim to shed light on the challenges faced by EMS personnel and explore strategies to support their mental and emotional well-being."

We have invited Fr. Constantine (Millard) Shepherd is currently a priest in the Greek Orthodox Church and serves a small mission parish in Jacksonville NC. He is a retired 30-year career Law Enforcement Officer from one of the largest Sheriff’s Offices in NC. He is active in a regional CISM team in NC, as a first responder Chaplain.

IOCC is offering trainings from the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF) designed to address unmet needs and build resilience in disaster-affected communities.

sign-up link: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=ghBF1aVHSEm3nQy1Fl8AL4_Lq0j_fiJNtWrb49yQAa1UM1JIM0RSSVZSOU5KNkFGVk5GUEExU0czQS4u

To learn more about MSOC  @medspecops8447  and many of the Med Spec Ops initiatives visit www.medspecops.org

If you or someone you know is affected and needs help, please seek out support.

We Salute our Veterans on this day and Honor all who have served and continue serving to secure our freedom and way of life.

It is also difficult to not stop and humbly remember our over 7,000 U. S. Service Members who have perished in the post-9/11 war operations and honor our Gold Star Families.

On a previous Episode on September 11, twenty-years after the tragic events, we spoke about that calm early Tuesday morning, countless acts of heroism and selflessness, and how First Responder Emergency personnel and members of our Military raced into the World Trade Center Towers and our Nations Pentagon.

We say this because today, we have a very special guest! Someone who is not only a friend, father, husband, and someone I have had the pleasure teaching with across the country, BUT add to that VETERAN and First Responder and doing it all at the same time. That is what we call a SOLID RESPONDER.

After retiring in 2017, Chris began the second most important work of his life, shining a light on the hidden mental and emotional trauma so common to first responders. Through live events across the country, he shares his personal story, including one of the most infamous moments—as the fire fighter photographed while cradling the body of a one-year old, who succumbed to injuries at the Oklahoma bombing terror attack on April 19, 1995. 

According to mental health statistics, the percentage of first responder suicides are higher than those of the rest of the population. Currently, it even outpaces line of duty deaths. This is an incredibly important and vital subject that Chris has dedicated his life to. He believes that his career as a first responder took a toll on his personal well-being and his family. During this podcast, Chris shares his own recovery which he attributes to faith and family and has committed to share what he has learned to help other first responders and their loved ones. 

Please join us for this moving episode and heed the call to action to help recognize those in need of support and how you can help them or point them to the right resources. 

After watching the podcast, you can learn more by visiting www.chrisfeilds.com or www.traumabehindthebadge.org

Join Joe and Katie for a conversation about her path to becoming a member of California-TF3 as a medical specialist and Hazmat team manager, as well as an instructor and one of the country's top leading experts. They also discuss her deployment experiences, such as Hurricane Irma in 2017, where she brought her diverse perspective and Hazmat expertise to the medical specialist side of disaster management. 

Katie has been a member of the first responder community since 1998 and a member of California TF-3 since 2010. She credits her career growth and passion for teaching to her own personal curiosity, encouragement from colleagues, and support from her chief. She also discusses her personal experiences, starting out as one of the very few women in a largely male-dominated profession, and how the job has changed since.