Talk to many firefighters and they’ll explain that "suck it up and get on the truck" mentality.
"Coming from a law enforcement family, to talk about feelings and emotions is a challenge at times," admitted firefighter Dustin Hawkins. "After my father, being 30 years in law enforcement, I just now coaxed him into the ‘snuggle with the struggle.’ I have to tackle the man to hug the man." But as of today, mental health assistance is on the fast track to Florida first responders, to the tune of $12 million.
"We need to have resources as people have challenges involving mental health resiliency," said Governor Ron DeSantis.
At a roundtable Friday afternoon, Florida’s first lady Casey DeSantis announced $12 million in funding to expand peer-to-peer mental health services available for first responders through the Department of Children and Families (DCF) to bolster existing prevention and intervention services for first responders and their families.