Governor Ralph Northam was in town on Tuesday, May 15, to sign a bill that will help firefighters deal with mental illness issues they may experience as a result of their job. This new bill will make it so that localities across the state have to offer mental health training and awareness for new and current firefighters on a yearly basis. “I think just all of us as Virginians and Americans need to realize what people like the firefighters and first responders do,” says Northam. Governor Northam was joined by dozens of firefighters as he signed the Firefighter Mental Health Awareness Bill into law on Tuesday afternoon.