Our Mission
We at The Behind the Lines Foundation, understand that First Responders deal with stressors that the general population could not. They are expected to perform perfectly when most could not fathom being anywhere near the scene of these critical incidents. The aftermath of the trauma that is experienced every day is beyond that of the average citizen. When the trauma becomes too much and the responder realized that they do need help, they don’t reach out because of fear of retaliation, humiliation, or the embarrassment of being labeled. The continuation of decline can spiral with common effects including family problems, lack of work productivity, absenteeism, substance abuse and even suicide.
We at The Behind the Lines Foundations understand this and have made it our mission to care those who selflessly take care of us.
We realize that professional help from outside the agency may be the necessary element to break the cycle. The completely private nature of outside help is attractive to those living in this subculture, and calms the fears of employer reprisals, humiliation or embarrassment. That, coupled with assistance from counselors and clinicians who are specifically trained to assist first responders and PTSD, make not only the access and privacy factors attractive but the level of care is industry focused and specific. In many situations, immediate access to in person help it is extremely important and possibly critical. It is then where a suicide prevention hotline is beyond comprehension to the individual and in many instances not even considered because of the stigma of being labeled.
America’s first responders routinely run into harm’s way, often with the understanding that what they will encounter can be extremely dangerous and life-threatening. They do this to keep our communities and our families safe and secure. They deserve our support. They have earned the benefit of having their health needs met, including their mental health so they can get back to the front line. The line they hold for us.