Help When You Need It: Resources to Support Mental Wellbeing

May 5, 2026

Being a volunteer firefighter or EMS provider is tough. Responders are routinely exposed to traumatic incidents and difficult calls, deal with the stress of juggling work-life-volunteer responsibilities, have interrupted sleep, and other factors that can impact mental wellbeing. It is important for individuals and departments to focus on supporting mental wellbeing, building resilience, and learning what resources are available for those who need help.

The National Volunteer Fire Council’s (NVFC) Share the Load Program provides tools and resources to help first responders and their families as well as assist department leaders in supporting their membership. These include the following:

• The NVFC First Responder Helpline, offered through Provident, provides assistance to NVFC members and their families for a variety of behavioral health issues and work-life stresses. This includes confidential counseling, resources, and referrals to assistance for a range of issues including stress, depression, family conflict, substance misuse, child or elder care, financial or legal concerns, and more.
• The Directory of Behavioral Health Professionals is an online, searchable database of local behavioral health providers who are equipped and ready to help firefighters, EMS providers, rescue workers, dispatchers, and their families.
• The Psychologically Healthy Fire Departments toolkit and training provide strategies to help fire department leaders promote and foster well-being among their members and create successful, high-performing departments. Departments can also make the commitment to maintain a psychologically healthy fire department to be featured on a special landing page.
• Courses and webinars in the NVFC Virtual Classroom provide training on important topics such as signs to watch for, resilience, stress management, and much more.

Find all of these resources and more at www.nvfc.org/help.