Our guest is Captain Rommie Duckworth, career fire captain and paramedic/EMS Coordinator for Ridgefield (CT) Fire Department, author, speaker, and educator.  We talk about personal experiences with trauma that demonstrate the importance of getting help, and how officers and department leaders can stay current on available mental health and wellness resources.  Also, we discuss differences between generations of responders and their openness to seek help.

Rommie explains the role of company officers ensuring their members are given the opportunity to speak confidentially about stressors and challenges at home and on the job, and how to connect members with proper resources when necessary. The author of chapters in more than a dozen EMS, fire, rescue, and medical textbooks and over 100 published articles in fire and EMS magazines, Rommie gives us a look behind the scenes into the mental health and wellness chapters of new EMS and fire textbooks.

Rom is a dedicated emergency responder with more than thirty years of experience working in career and volunteer fire departments, hospital healthcare systems, and private emergency medical services.

Recipient of the American Red Cross Hero award, the Sepsis Alliance Sepsis Hero award, and the EMS 10 Innovators award, Rom is currently a career fire captain and paramedic/EMS Coordinator for Ridgefield (CT) Fire Department. Rom is the author of chapters in more than a dozen EMS, fire, rescue, and medical textbooks and has over 100 published articles in fire and EMS magazines.