Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont internship
Vermont lawmakers are considering a bill that would provide confidentiality to first responders who participate in support groups that help them process traumatizing events.
H.270 was introduced last year and passed the House on Jan. 29. It has moved to the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare for further deliberation.
The bill aims to ensure that conversations in peer support groups remain confidential, much like standard therapist-patient sessions. It would apply to a range of emergency service providers, including police officers, firefighters, 911 dispatchers, corrections officers and ski patrol members.
Trevor Whipple, a law enforcement consultant at the Vermont League of Cities and Towns and a former police chief, explained the ins and outs of what would be considered confidential to the House Committee on Health Care on Jan. 14.
“There are some safety vows built into this legislation about things that we should not keep secret,” he said. “If the employee is expressing self harm or suicidal ideation, that’s a hard stop. If they’re sharing information that is indicative of a mandatory reporting, like child sex abuse or elder abuse, that has to be reported.”
But on the flip side, Whipple said responders should be able to discuss some sensitive topics without the fear of losing their job.
“I want there to be times where employees can feel free to go to someone who is properly trained and recognized as a peer support individual and vent to them,” he said.
Whipple highlighted a 2021 CDC study that detailed the chronic stress and mental health struggles first responders are facing.
“Law enforcement officers and firefighters were dying more often at their own hands than in service,” he said. “Around 20 percent of office workers and dispatchers were experiencing symptoms of PTSD and depression from their jobs.”
Mark McDonough, battalion chief of the Burlington Fire Department, echoed the sentiment that passing H.270 is vital. A volunteer firefighter and ski patroller, McDonough also serves as vice-chair of the Emergency Service Provider Wellness Commission, which develops training for peer support groups.
Testifying on Jan. 14, McDonough said many first responders are reluctant to seek help for fear they’d been seen as weak or unable to perform their duties. Peer counseling helps reduce that stigma, he said.
“The benefit and the reason why peer support programs are so successful is because they are immediately available. You just pick up the phone and call your peer,” he said. “It’s not calling a clinician, making an appointment, seeing if they have availability — do they take your insurance? You just call a friend, and they answer the phone right away.”
Rep. Emilie Krasnow, D-Chittenden-9, sponsored the bill alongside 20 other lawmakers.
“Emergency service providers are exposed to trauma as part of their jobs, yet many are reluctant to seek help because they worry that what they say in peer support counseling could later be disclosed or used against them,” Krasnow told the Community News Service. “That fear can be a real barrier to getting support when it is needed most.”
“I believe we have an obligation to look out for the people who show up for us every day,” she added.