Police and Fire Commission advances mental-health initiative for first responders

The Police and Fire Commission on March 10 agreed to move forward on a multi-step mental-health initiative for police and fire personnel after staff presented a preliminary inventory of available resources.

Jodine, a staff member who briefed the commission, said the work is “down to about 4 steps” and that staff had “gathered a list of resources, cast a wide net just to see what is available to our police and fire personnel.” She told the commission the next steps are to discuss the inventory with the department chiefs, triage what is feasible, and then convene a follow-up call to finalize recommendations.

The initiative matters because commissioners said it addresses workforce well-being across the two public-safety departments. The commission asked that staff and the chiefs form a short working group, hold a conference call this week if possible to “put a bow around it,” and have the city prepare a flyer and communications strategy to share with personnel.

“We’re kind of on a roll,” Chairman Joe said when urging a prompt follow-up. Jodine and commissioners agreed that preserving momentum was important and that a short, practical plan would be preferable to a lengthy delay.

There was no formal vote. Commission members requested that the chiefs review the resource list, that staff schedule the conference call, and that the city communications office draft the flyer and messaging with chiefs prior to broader distribution.

The commission will return any recommendations and proposed communications to the full commission at a later meeting, or sooner if the working group can finalize the plan by phone.

Notes: Comments and directions on the initiative were recorded during the chairman’s comments portion of the March 10 meeting; no ordinance, resolution, or contract was presented or approved at this time.