Resources
Safe Call Now
<p>A 24-hour crisis line for public safety and emergency services personnel and their families, anywhere in the United States. It costs nothing to call.</p><p><strong>Who answers:</strong> a Peer Advocate — a current or former first responder. Safe Call Now keeps one on duty every hour of every day of the year. Not a script, not a stranger to the job.</p><p><strong>Is it reportable?</strong> No. Safe Call Now is an independent non-profit and is not under the jurisdiction of any public or governmental agency, so it is not subject to public-disclosure or Freedom of Information requests. Calls are held confidential under Washington state law (RCW 43.101.425). Nobody rings your department because you rang them.</p><p>The 206 area code is their home state of Washington; the line serves the whole country.</p><p>If money is the obstacle to the counseling or treatment they refer you to, say so on the call — they work with providers on sliding scales.</p><p>Number and details verified 2026-09-25 from safecallnow.us (home, contact and FAQ pages).</p>
(206) 459-3020 · available 24/7 · confidential · for fire, ems, police, dispatch, corrections, family
https://safecallnow.us/
CopLine
<p>Confidential listening line for active and retired law enforcement officers and their families, 24/7/365. Dial 1-800-COPLINE — 1-800-267-5463.</p><p><strong>Who answers:</strong> a trained retired law enforcement officer. Every CopLine volunteer is retired, and that is deliberate — it is why the line can hold what you tell it.</p><p><strong>Is it reportable?</strong> No. CopLine states plainly that it is not associated with any police department or agency. Calls are confidential and you can stay anonymous if you choose. CopLine names the only three things that would break that: a credible threat of harm to others, or suspected child or elder endangerment or abuse.</p><p>It is for a bad shift as much as a crisis. You do not have to be at the edge to call.</p><p>Number and details verified 2026-09-25 from copline.org.</p>
1-800-267-5463 · available 24/7 · confidential · for police, family
https://www.copline.org/
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
<p>Call or text 988, or chat at chat.988lifeline.org. Free, 24/7, anywhere in the United States. It is not responder-specific; it is for anyone.</p><p><strong>Who answers:</strong> a trained crisis counselor at one of more than 200 local and state-funded crisis centers in the Lifeline network. They are mental health professionals and trained volunteers — not fellow responders, and not police.</p><p><strong>Is it reportable?</strong> Not to your employer. The Lifeline is a confidential service, does not release records of calls, and has no link to your department.</p><p><strong>On emergency services, in the Lifeline's own words:</strong> fewer than two percent of 988 calls involve emergency services at all; when they are involved, over half of those dispatches happen with the caller's consent; and counselors are directed to contact emergency services (911, police, sheriff) only where risk of harm to self or others is imminent or in progress and a less invasive plan for the caller's safety cannot be worked out with them. Safety planning, mobile crisis teams and community resources come first.</p><p>Details verified 2026-09-25 from 988lifeline.org (the FAQ on police intervention, and the Our Crisis Centers page).</p>
988 · available 24/7 · confidential · for fire, ems, police, dispatch, corrections, family
https://988lifeline.org/
NVFC First Responder Helpline
<p>Confidential assistance for National Volunteer Fire Council members and their household family, available 24/7 through Provident and BHS. It covers stress, depression, anxiety, grief, relationships, family conflict, substance misuse, and financial or legal worries, plus up to five telephone coaching sessions.</p><p><strong>The number is not published openly.</strong> NVFC keeps it in the members area of nvfc.org under Member Benefits. Membership is $24; if that is the obstacle, NVFC grants a complimentary membership on request — there is a form for it on the helpline page, no questions about why.</p><p><strong>Who answers:</strong> master's-level clinicians at Business Health Services, working with Responders 1st Call, specifically trained to support first responders. Clinicians rather than fellow responders.</p><p><strong>Is it reportable?</strong> No. This is an outside assistance program, not your department's, and NVFC describes it as confidential. No employer sits on the other end of it.</p><p><strong>Do not dial 1-888-731-FIRE.</strong> NVFC has discontinued the old Fire/EMS Helpline and asks departments still displaying that number to take it down. If you want a 24-hour line answered by a responder right now, Safe Call Now is (206) 459-3020.</p><p>Details verified 2026-09-25 from nvfc.org/helpline.</p>
available 24/7 · confidential · for fire, ems, family
https://www.nvfc.org/helpline/
IAFF Center of Excellence
<p>A treatment facility built for IAFF members struggling with PTSD and addiction, at the Center's site in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Admissions is staffed around the clock on (855) 900-8437.</p><p><strong>Who answers:</strong> an admissions counselor at the Center, any hour. You can ask what treatment would involve without committing to anything.</p><p><strong>Is it reportable?</strong> Not by the Center. This is a licensed treatment facility, so asking about treatment is a medical conversation rather than a departmental one, and nobody there contacts your employer because you called. If you later need leave or benefits, that conversation with your local is yours to start, in your own time.</p><p><strong>Eligibility and cost:</strong> IAFF members. Treatment is billed through insurance, so this is not a free service — ask admissions what your plan covers before you worry about it.</p><p>Number verified 2026-09-25 from iaffrecoverycenter.com (contact page). Third-party rehab directories list (301) 358-0192 for the facility; the 855 number above is the one the IAFF publishes for 24/7 admissions, so it is the one used here.</p>
(855) 900-8437 · available 24/7 · confidential · for fire, ems
https://www.iaffrecoverycenter.com/
First Responder Trauma Counselors
<p>First Responder Trauma Counselors realizes that suffering from a mental health crisis can often be a frightening and lonely experience. The stigma attached to the First Responder tribe, places and additional overwhelming stress on what may have already become an out of control crisis situation.</p><p><br></p><p>We at FRTC do everything we can to help alleviate, stabilize and treat the First Responder prior to them having to go to a hospital. If the situation is a medical emergency, FRTC will and can be there with them to ensure they receive the most effective and private treatment to ensure that their integrity is not compromised. We will advocate and keep interactions confidential to the very best of our abilities.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Nobody should ever have to fight alone</strong>.</p><p><br></p><p>All of our forms and processes are HIPAA compliant and our offices are not housed within or near to any government buildings or First Responder work locations. This adds an additional layer of privacy for struggling clients. We understand that for you to reach out, is a big deal, we want to assure our clients that only those that need to know, know what is going on.</p><p><br></p><p>We are now offering TeleTherapy. Although it has not been our first choice in our practice, we at FRTC support for First Responders, and therefore have added this option due to COVID-19. Know that we are <strong>Here For You</strong>.</p><p><strong>Who answers:</strong> 911 Overwatch staff — behavioral health clinicians and peer supporters who are themselves current or former responders and frontline staff. Business hours, not a 24-hour line. Their own site says to call 911 for a medical or behavioral health emergency.</p><p><strong>Is it reportable?</strong> Their reporting policy is not published. 911 Overwatch runs its crisis stabilization program under contracts with Northern Colorado agencies, which may include yours, so ask at the start of the call what is shared with your agency before you say anything you do not want passed on.</p><p><strong>Who it covers:</strong> contracted Northern Colorado agencies, and registered EMTs and paramedics anywhere in Colorado through Path4EMS.</p><p>Details verified 2026-09-25 from 911overwatch.org.</p>
(970) 222-4193 · confidential
https://911overwatch.org/
First Responder Peer Support Network
<p>For more than 20 years, First Responder Support Network (FRSN) has been a lead provider of support in helping first responders and their significant others cope with the debilitating effects of critical incident stress. We have helped more than 2,300 first responders and their significant others who have attended our trauma retreats.</p>
(415) 721-9789 · confidential
https://www.frsn.org/
Share the Load Program
<h4><strong>Share the Load™ Support Program for Fire and EMS</strong></h4><p>Most people are aware of the physical demands that first response activities place on firefighters and EMS providers. But it is important to also realize the impact that fighting fires and responding to emergencies has on the mental wellbeing of emergency personnel. Firefighters and EMS providers face the risk of many behavioral health concerns such as anxiety, depression, burnout, post-traumatic stress disorder, and addiction among others.</p><p>Taking care of your mental health is as important as managing your physical health. The NVFC’s Share the Load™ program provides access to critical resources and information to help first responders and their families manage and overcome personal and work-related problems. This includes the Directory of Behavioral Health Professionals as a resource to find local assistance for behavioral health issues.</p><p>The resources in this section can assist individuals seeking help for a behavioral health issue as well as departments looking to implement or enhance a behavioral health program.</p><p><strong>Note: If you need immediate support with a suicidal, mental health, and/or substance use crisis, call the </strong><a target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="text-responder-blue underline hover:text-responder-blue/80" href="https://www.nvfc.org/helpline"><strong>NVFC First Responder Helpline</strong></a><strong> or call 988 for the national </strong><a target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="text-responder-blue underline hover:text-responder-blue/80 gtrackexternal" href="https://988lifeline.org/"><strong>Suicide and Crisis Lifeline</strong></a><strong> (or go to the web site for chat). In addition, </strong><a target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="text-responder-blue underline hover:text-responder-blue/80 gtrackexternal" href="https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline"><strong>SAMHSA’s National Helpline</strong></a><strong> is available at 1-800-662-HELP (4357), and the </strong><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="text-responder-blue underline hover:text-responder-blue/80 gtrackexternal" href="https://www.crisistextline.org/text-us/"><strong>Crisis Text Line</strong></a><strong> is available by texting HOME to 741741.</strong></p><ul><li><p>The <a target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="text-responder-blue underline hover:text-responder-blue/80" href="https://www.nvfc.org/helpline"><strong>NVFC First Responder Helpline</strong></a>, offered through Provident, provides assistance to NVFC members and their families for a variety of behavioral health issues and work-life stresses.</p></li><li><p>The <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="text-responder-blue underline hover:text-responder-blue/80" href="https://www.nvfc.org/provider-directory"><strong>Directory of Behavioral Health Professionals</strong></a> is an online, searchable list of local providers who are equipped and ready to help firefighters, EMS providers, rescue workers, dispatchers, and their families.</p></li><li><p>The <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="text-responder-blue underline hover:text-responder-blue/80" href="https://www.nvfc.org/phfd/#toolkit"><strong>Psychologically Healthy Fire Departments</strong></a><strong> </strong>toolkit and training helps fire department leaders promote and foster well-being among their members and create successful, high-performing departments. Departments that have made the commitment to maintaining a psychologically healthy fire department can be found <a target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="text-responder-blue underline hover:text-responder-blue/80" href="https://www.nvfc.org/departments-committed-to-health/">here</a>.</p></li><li><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="text-responder-blue underline hover:text-responder-blue/80" href="https://www.nvfc.org/share-the-load-resources"><strong>Share the Load™ Resources</strong></a> include the family guide, suicide prevention report, and training.</p></li><li><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="text-responder-blue underline hover:text-responder-blue/80" href="http://www.nvfc.org/firefighters/resources/?category=resource-health&tag%5B%5D=behavioral-health&resource_type%5B%5D=videos"><strong>Share the Load Videos</strong></a> feature warning signs to watch for and how to talk to someone who needs help.</p></li><li><p>Additional <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="text-responder-blue underline hover:text-responder-blue/80" href="http://www.nvfc.org/firefighters/resources/?category=resource-health&tag%5B%5D=behavioral-health"><strong>fire service</strong></a> and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="text-responder-blue underline hover:text-responder-blue/80" href="http://www.nvfc.org/ems/resources/?category=resource-health&tag%5B%5D=behavioral-health"><strong>EMS</strong></a> behavioral health resources include organizations, helplines, reports, courses, and webinars.</p></li><li><p>View <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="text-responder-blue underline hover:text-responder-blue/80" href="https://www.nvfc.org/news-archive/?category=behavioral-health-news"><strong>articles and news</strong></a><strong> </strong>on behavioral health topics.</p></li></ul><h4><strong>National Fire Service Suicide Reporting System</strong></h4><p>We tragically lose dozens of firefighters and EMTs each year to suicide. The Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance is the nationally recognized reporting system for collecting data about firefighter suicide. The reporting system is confidential and the data is used to identify trends and prevent future instances of firefighter and EMT suicide. To report a suicide, go to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="text-responder-blue underline hover:text-responder-blue/80" href="http://www.ffbha.org">www.ffbha.org</a> and hover over “Resources” in the top menu, then click “Suicide Reporting.”</p>
available 24/7 · confidential
https://www.nvfc.org/programs/share-the-load-program/