Hero Haven Field Trip
Several years ago at a family dinner, a loved one slumped over in his chair and lost consciousness for a few minutes. While my husband steadied him, I called 911, and our young children hightailed it upstairs to hide from the chaos. (To this day, they unfairly blame the incident on my chili dinner.) In what I believe was record time, the emergency responders were at our door caring for our loved one and calming us. When the situation happily resolved, we thanked them and off they went.
In all the years since that incident, I had never given any thought to the EMTs. Their actions were swift, coordinated and executed in a “just doing our job, Ma’am” fashion.
Now I wonder, was that their first call of the day, or were they mentally and physically exhausted from meeting the needs of several families before ours? Did their previous call end well, or despite their heroic efforts, did the trajectory of that family change forever with the loss of life?
These questions surfaced after BHF Board member Claire Motto-Steil and I visited Hero Haven in DeWitt, Iowa. As the name suggests, Hero Haven is a place of safety and refuge for First Responders and their families.
In their request for funding last fall, we learned Hero Haven was established in 2020 as an outlet for emergency personnel to offload their mental burdens in a confidential setting and to begin the walk of healing.
On our visit, Claire and I met with the organization’s co-founders, Mary Sandry, the wife and mother of volunteer firefighters, and Danette Haag, a registered nurse who was badly burned in a house explosion at age 10. Kelly Hosette, a Hero Haven Board member whose husband died fighting a fire in Clinton five years ago, also joined us.
The group shared their thoughts about the emotional toll on First Responders because of repeated exposure to high-stress, traumatic experiences in the field. First Responders are on the front lines of medical and mental health emergencies, traffic accidents, and shootings.
The strength and composure shown by these brave men and women would lead us to believe they’re okay, when in fact, they may be suffering in their silence.
We learned First Responders are six times more likely to attempt suicide than the general population. More than 1/3 of First Responders are afflicted with sleep disorders and grapple with alcohol dependency. In fewer numbers, but just as significant are those suffering from PTSD and clinical depression.
Hero Haven is performing rescues. They offer Hero Retreats and monthly Haven Hangouts where First Responders meet in a safe place to talk with their peers about what they are experiencing.
Mental health professionals attend the retreats to listen, help them recognize how their experiences are affecting their daily lives, and provide tools for processing the stress and trauma.
With their BHF grant Hero Haven is offering a second retreat this year. As a result, 24 First Responders will be ready to coach and encourage others in their department, help retain volunteers on the force, and ultimately save more lives.
It’s a brotherhood we’re proud to support.