Behind the Line Support

Behind the Line Support Supporting those on the line & the ones at home supporting them

The best seat in the house is the one looking backwards IYKYK! This is the only time its allowed to look where you have ...
01/14/2026

The best seat in the house is the one looking backwards IYKYK!

This is the only time its allowed to look where you have been before you see where your going,
especially as we speak mental health!!

….driving can be pretty awesome too except if there’s fire showing….

Recently saw a post regarding a local prison system where the sheriff is being praised for bringing in a new mental heal...
01/13/2026

Recently saw a post regarding a local prison system where the sheriff is being praised for bringing in a new mental health program for inmates.

👉🏻 Political B.S.

Your officers are overworked, injured, burnt out, and mentally abused everyday and you have a “program” in place for them that doesn’t work.

Moral is at an all time low and when one of them needs help, its already to late.

Don’t get me wrong the inmates need services as well, but how quickly we turn the cheek on the officers who work there because popularity is in what you do for inmates, not the officers.

Its a shame to see in over 20 years nothing has changed and the mental wellness of corrections officers is getting worse or merely staying the same.


Every department right now is posting the wow we broke records posts. “____ FD responded to 800 more medical calls than ...
01/11/2026

Every department right now is posting the wow we broke records posts.

“____ FD responded to 800 more medical calls than previous years!!” - Yet its the same staffing level as previous years.

Haven’t seen one post about how we are taking care of our members that are now doing this much more work.

While people and officials are celebrating the rise in responses handled by the department, our members are tired, sore, out injured, or burnt out.

Are we doing enough to make sure they are
ok?

Its wonderful that we can do so much with so little, but the truth behind all these posts show why we need to focus on mental health programs and teaching our first responders to take care of themselves and their families.

Does your first responder really not listen to you or does your first responder always try to give you solutions when yo...
01/11/2026

Does your first responder really not listen to you or does your first responder always try to give you solutions when your stressed to the max and looking to vent?

First responders, especially ones with years
on the job, are trained and engrained to solve problems. Who goes to a first responder with solutions? No one…they call us.

Everyday its solve one problem after another. Solving problems is what we do and its what we become.

When you come home after a bad day and try to vent, they are listening and they are paying attention. When they start giving solutions to your problem (even when you didn’t ask) its not that they don’t think you can handle it, its how they are mentally processing what your saying.

If there is a problem - their must be a solution.

If they don’t provide a solution, maybe they really aren’t paying attention!

If you just need to vent and don’t like the problem solver coming out, be upfront and say that.

Just remember, its not being done because they don’t think you can handle it. They probably don’t even realize they are doing it because they have to do it so much.

Communication and understanding is key.

I scrub the soot from every pore,Then leave the trauma at the door.I want to feel the morning sun,And be the man I was b...
01/09/2026

I scrub the soot from every pore,
Then leave the trauma at the door.
I want to feel the morning sun,
And be the man I was before the run.

To laugh until my spirit clears,
And drown the static of the years.
There is a Jekyll who craves the light,
Who wants to sleep through every night.

But Hyde still lingers in the hall,
Waiting for a phantom call.
He remembers every silent room,
The heavy air, the scent of doom.

I reach for joy, I hold it tight,
While fighting shadows in the night.
Between the hero and the ghost,
It’s the simple peace I want the most.

Everybody has a little jeckyl and hyde in them…


Our thoughts and prayers are with the brothers and sisters of the Uxbridge Police Department in Massachusetts and the fa...
01/07/2026

Our thoughts and prayers are with the brothers and sisters of the Uxbridge Police Department in Massachusetts and the family of the fallen officer.

Now is the time to show support, talk, and make sure all your members and their families have a safe outlet.

May the officer never be forgotten.

Uxbridge Police Department

There becomes a time when dinner dates aren’t what they use to. Hypervigilence and memories of past traumatic experience...
01/07/2026

There becomes a time when dinner dates aren’t what they use to. Hypervigilence and memories of past traumatic experiences are now the movie thats playing.

Lets be honest, it sucks…for both people.

Our spouses want a nice night out, something that might rekindle a little spark. Then out of nowhere they see the look, the stare. The erie quietness takes over as does the saddness, the night won’t be what they wanted.

For us, we want the same as them but suddenly a noise, a smell, or a loud sound and our minds are suddenly everywhere but where we are. Our minds enter fight or flight mode not realizing we are safe and sitting for dinner with our loved one. Our bodies are dumping chemicals to keep us safe, yet we are safe and our minds dont know it.

When its time to come back to earth, we are tired, burnt out, and overcome with emotion. Both of us….

A first responders brain will be physically altered after enough exposure to trauma. Its not their fault. As much as the spouse wants a great night, so do they and the guilt of not being normal and feeling bad sets in and takes over.

For the spouse, the loneliness sets in. Is this something she can talk to her friends about or will they judge her? or judge him? Who will understand?

Communicate with each other. Be honest, be real. In this world of judgement you have each other. Stay positive, seek help.

A powerful image that shows what the wives of our first responders face on a daily basis trying to chisel away the stone...
01/06/2026

A powerful image that shows what the wives of our first responders face on a daily basis trying to chisel away the stone that has consumed her husband.

They might not seem like the person they use to. They might seem less emotional connected then when you first met, but endlessly you try to bring out that person from before.

The stone that has taken shape all over them is there for their protection. They have seen the hurt, the pain, the suffering and they’re defensive mechanism is to build a strong shield that will protect them emotionally so they can continue doing what they do.

They have lived a life most won’t understand. They live with the things that they have seen personally yet would make people cringe if they see it in the movies. Yet you never give up on them.

Loving a first responder is completely different than what your friends and family experience in their “normal” relationships. More credit needs to shared to the spouses of our first responders that don’t run away and don’t give up on the person they chose years ago.

Remember your not alone in your struggles.

How is it that we as first responders can be the most calm and comfortable in a highly stressful situation, yet sitting ...
01/05/2026

How is it that we as first responders can be the most calm and comfortable in a highly stressful situation, yet sitting on the couch at home we can completely be overwhelmed with anxiety?

So many responders report that when the crap is hitting the fan, they feel as though there heart rate drops, breathing slows, and they almost feel a sense of calming.

Yet, we sit at home and suddenly the anxiety level is through the roof, hearts racing, breathing is picking up and the sense of a racing mind is spiraling out of control even though we are completely in a safe space.

You need to recognize when this happening. The check engine light is illuminated and we need to pull over and relax for a minute. Maybe shut the car down for a minute, let it cool off and then start moving again.

Don’t ignore the check engine light!

Did you know that if a first responder committs su***de their family may not be eligible for benefits?In many jurisdicti...
01/04/2026

Did you know that if a first responder committs su***de their family may not be eligible for benefits?

In many jurisdictions, if a death is officially ruled a su***de, families can lose access to "line-of-duty" death benefits or insurance payouts. This leads to a big pressure of whether to classify the cause of death as "accidental" or "undetermined."

How can we accurately determine the number of first responder su***des a year if the data must be hidden to allow a family to recieve the benefits they deserve?

How can we make first responders su***des an epidemic if we can’t collect the data needed to support it?

Oh and let’s add stigma to the equation and make it worse….

Time for change is now!!

We each have our days and it’s up to us to make them what we want, yet some days you can be flying around like the bird ...
01/03/2026

We each have our days and it’s up to us to make them what we want, yet some days you can be flying around like the bird and the bad will come out of no where and find you.

Unlike the bird in the story…we need to get back up and keep moving in the direction we were going. If the road was easy, everyone would be on it.

As first responders we are use to bumpy and unforgiving roads. Don’t settle down, don’t accept what you don’t want to, and keep moving forward!

Unfortunately until we make the conversations regarding mental health more prevalent we willcontinue to keep seeing stat...
01/02/2026

Unfortunately until we make the conversations regarding mental health more prevalent we will
continue to keep seeing statistics like this.

Its important for organizations like First Help to publish these in order to show the significance of su***de in our professions.

***de

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Marion, MA
02738

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