Every day first responders are suffering from different forms of emotional distress. They put their lives on the line to save ours, many of them sacrificing themselves in the process. The battle doesn’t always end when the work does; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe issue among first responders. The Washington State Legislature has passed legislation for better outreach programs for these heroes.
On June 11th, 2020, House Bill (HB) 2926 was enacted by a unanimous vote in both the House and the Senate. The bill was passed to expand stress management programs for law enforcement, fire departments, and other first responder agencies.
The Criminal Justice Training Commission (the CJTC is in charge of setting the standards that law enforcement personnel follow) will be required to contact local first responder agencies to evaluate their stress management outreach and assist them in expanding it.
This extensive outreach covers a broad range of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, including coping with everyday stress, how to be independent, and helping with trauma caused by depictions or stories. The bill also covers a broad range of treatments, including peer support groups or one on one counseling, helping with stress before it becomes PTSD, and stress management.
The Deer Park Gazette would like to thank all first responders who put their lives on the line to protect everyday people. Thank you!
To see all of the bills passed in 2020, visit DPGazette.com/2020rls
To learn more about this bill, visit DPGazette.com/hb2926
