2024 Annual Conference: Hot Topics

Friday, October 18th, 12:30 - 4:00 pm | Afternoon Session

Mitigating the Impact: Building Resources from Within the Firehouse
Chief David Brosnahan, Roseville Fire Department & Jonathan Bundt, MA, LMFT, MNCEM

Session Description

This program works to better address firefighter mental health by providing the insight, tools, and resources of having an embedded mental health professional in your fire department. Most of the existing response and support programs for firefighters are reactive. In this presentation, we will look at the balance of preparing your firefighters not only in reacting to stressful events but also in creating proactive approaches to improving well-being and mental health. By utilizing models and actionable items that provide immediate access to a licensed professional, ongoing training, and organizational support the instructors will demonstrate the steps involved in establishing an embedded mental health program. 

This program will review existing post-traumatic stress, chronic stress, substance abuse, suicide threats, and relationship challenges firefighters are facing. And how to better address mental health in your organization to reduce your firefighters' chances of being victim to it.

Through step-by-step guidance, case studies, audience participation, and deliverables, fire officers will leave this class with a better idea and understanding of how to establish their own embedded mental health program within their fire department. 

Ashes, a K9 service dog, will also be available to meet and ask her handler questions about this valuable program.

Jonathan Bundt, MA, LMFT, MNCEM

Jonathan Bundt is the founder and owner of Masa Consulting Inc. and has worked in mental health, public safety, healthcare, and emergency management for over 35 years, specializing in first responder care,  disaster behavioral health, workplace violence prevention, crisis mitigation, incident response, and recovery.   His work in the United States began in 1995; before that, he lived in Israel and served in the Israel National Police Force.  He regularly provides consultation and training services to the EMS, police and fire departments, private sector, hospitals, and MN state agencies. Jonathan has provided incident and post-incident consultations for more than 3,000 local, regional, and national crisis, disaster, and violence events. Jonathan has been a licensed mental health professional since 1997 and is a certified emergency manager in MN. He currently provides embedded mental health and wellness services to the cities of Roseville, Burnsville, and White Bear Lake Fire Departments and works with Life Link III. His areas of interest are public safety wellness,  workplace violence prevention and response, and developing incident response teams. He developed curriculum in several response and wellness programs for first responders. He is a member of MN-1 DMAT (federal response team), a disaster medical response team.