“We all recognize this job does change us as humans. We can no longer ignore the fact that this has an impact on our emotional and mental well-being,” Draper Police Chief Rich Ferguson said. 

Ferguson led the charge for Draper City to pursue a contract with 1st Watch Wellness, a mental health support service specifically designed for first responders and their families. Fire and police personnel have always had access to the city’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and mental health services, but Ferguson saw an opportunity for more specialized support.

“On a personal level, I have experience with this company. When I was the chief in Provo, I had an officer shot and killed, and months later in a separate incident, an officer shot. 1st Watch was on the ground, they flew clinicians in, and they did an outstanding job. I know what they’re capable of and how qualified they are. It’s a unique company and skill set,” he said. 

Draper City entered into a three-year contract with 1st Watch in July. The company is local, making access to their services easier. The Draper Police Department procured a federal grant to cover the cost of three-year contract and made sure the grant could be extended to cover Draper’s Fire Department employees. “In public service, it’s all about supporting one another. As we looked at making this change, it comes with a cost. Our law enforcement side of the house had a grant and thought to ask if it could be used for both departments. They were willing to share that resource with us and we’re very grateful to Chief Ferguson for that,” Fire Chief Clint Smith said.   

Special attributes of the new mental wellness program include:

• Every employee has access to an app downloaded to their phones for 24/7 immediate support which includes assessments, resources and connection to a clinician when needed
• Civilian employees can access the program because they witness or read traumatic things in reports and are affected, too
• The wellness program extends beyond employees to their spouses and children 
• If a critical incident occurs in Draper, 1st Watch will send a team to help debrief and assist

The app is seen as particularly helpful because, in times of crisis, immediate support is of the essence. “One thing we’ve learned with humanity in general is when people need help, they need easy access and they need it right now. They can’t wait until tomorrow during normal business hours,” Smith said. 

Chief Ferguson chose this wellness program because of how comprehensive it is. “One of the things that really attracted Draper to going with 1st Watch was they include in our wellness package our civilian employees. I’m very aware people in our records department who are typing our reports, our animal control officers, crime scene technicians and victim advocates…they are all seeing and witnessing things that impact them. I’m very grateful my entire department gets to go,” Ferguson said. 

The program is also proactive. Just as fire and police personnel must stay physically fit in order to do their job, their mental health requires maintenance too. To that end, the app provides users with a monthly focus such as gratitude. “It talks about how that powerful practice can boost resilience and strengthen relationships for support,” Ferguson said.

 1st Watch facilitates a spouse night, specific to each department, something both chiefs are excited about. “The goal is to educate our spouses to help them recognize things that are symptoms…like withdrawing or not wanting to talk about work. Hopefully, we can mitigate divorce,” Ferguson said. Counseling services are also made available to employees’ families. “One of the big benefits is the extension of their services to our spouses, our children, because when we bring that trauma home, there’s a degree of that our families experience,” Smith said. 

Ferguson, who’s been in public safety for 34 years, said this shift toward mental health wellness is a welcome one. “When I was hired, I was trained by guys who were Vietnam veterans. We were discouraged from ever disclosing any kind of affects we might have from anything we witnessed. It would portray to the administration that you weren’t emotionally or mentally strong enough to handle it, so you were told to suck it up. But we’ve recognized profession-wide that alcoholism, divorce and suicide rates were sky high, so as an industry, we can’t ignore it any longer,” Ferguson said.

Smith has seen the same change in his 32 years of firefighting. “When I first got into service, we didn’t talk about mental health. It was an unwritten rule that you’re going to see hard things and you just deal with it. We’ve learned over time that’s not the best way,” he said.

Smith said employees are paid overtime to do their annual well-check so they’re not taking time away from their regular work schedule nor are they sacrificing personal time. Ferguson is requiring every employee to go through one visit with a clinician a year. “It’s mandatory, just like wearing their bulletproof vest or making sure their car is operational. If they feel they need additional support, they can continue to see that provider,” he said. 

Smith and Ferguson are given statistical updates as to how many of their employees are taking advantage of the program. “I’m not aware of who and I don’t ask questions, but the company tells me a percentage of employees that have done it thus far. It’s been well received,” Ferguson said. 

Both chiefs hope this wellness service goes a long way in helping the city’s public safety employees and families. It will pay dividends for Draper residents, too. “We’re trying to make sure our employees are healthy so that when our residents need them, they’re going to get the best versions of us to help them,” Smith said. 

“I want my police officers to retire healthy, mentally healthy, so they can enjoy the rest of their life and retire with pride and honor and not be burdened by the things they’ve witnessed,” Ferguson said. 

A contract with a local mental health wellness service is being paid for using funds from a federal grant obtained by Draper Police Department and shared with the Fire Department. (Mimi Darley Dutton/City Journals)