The aim of this program is to further enhance your resilience for the kind of stress that is unique in your job and to teach you ways to deal with that stress so that it does not affect your mental or physical health in the future. The course is made up of seven modules released over seven weeks. Each of the modules takes about 20-40 minutes to complete, and includes information about a core concept, linked exercises, videos and key points. The strategies covered in each module are cutting edge, tried and tested, and aim to change the processes that have been shown to cause problems in the long run, as well as teaching practical skills we know strengthen resilience and good mental wellbeing, and which can help you bounce back after challenging situations.

When you start the course, you will also be assigned a Wellbeing Coach, who will be at hand to answer any questions. Your Wellbeing Coach will make suggestions to help you get the most out of the program, and you can get in touch with them for more information and help at any time throughout the online program, and for six months after you complete.

Who can participate?

This program is available to current members of the South Australian Country Fire Service, South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service and South Australia Police in their first five years of service.

If you are a first responder/member of an emergency service not listed above, please contact us for potential ways of participating at PEREI@flinders.edu.au or on (08) 8201 5978.

What will I learn in the program?

• Strategies to address mental health issues commonly experienced by first responders, as well as strategies to help ‘bounce-back’ following exposure to traumatic events
• How to deal with unwanted memories
• Adaptive problem-solving and skills to manage organisational and operational stressors
• Promotion of engagement in social and other meaningful behaviours known to foster good mental health and assist work-life balance

More about the program and structure

This program is based on the program, Protecting First Responders with Evidence-Based Interventions (P-FREI),  at Oxford University in the United Kingdom and has been implemented with police, firefighters and paramedics in the UK and Singapore. It has been further refined based on feedback from current Australian emergency service employees and volunteers, to ensure the content is relevant to Australian first responders.

As this research uses a randomised controlled design, members will be randomised by service location to either take part in the program immediately, or after a 12-month period. This is so the research team can compare the longer-term effects of the program for those who complete and those who do not. All participants will be able to access the programs over the two-year period of the research project.

To evaluate program outcomes, there are some brief questionnaires about symptoms of anxiety, depression, PTSD, general wellbeing, and job stress to complete before, during and after the program and at follow-up time points.

What do first responders think about the PEREI program?

“The program provided a lot of helpful tools that I’ve been able to consider and implement during my short time in the job. I’ve had a lot of new experiences in a short amount of time and it’s important to look after one’s mental health and stay on top of it, rather than brush it off and expect that you won’t be affected by the things you see. The PEREI program is incredibly useful for members. It gives them the ability to apply techniques taught at an early stage. I’ve been able to apply these techniques early in my career and get ahead of the curve when it comes to supporting my own mental health as well as being able to recognise signs of mental health deterioration. Not only has this program helped me, but I feel more confident in helping my colleagues, family and friends as well.” (Member)

“Being given the opportunity to complete a program like this was invaluable. I’ve taken away so many tools that I can use when things get tough, and I’ve come away with new ways of thinking.” (Member)

"I would say it’s a fantastic course. It gave me some really helpful tools in identifying key signs and unwanted behaviours in dealing with stressful events. It then also helped me with easy to implement strategies to help once these key signs or unwanted behaviours are recognised before they become a “problem”. However what I got most out of the program unexpectedly was the program helped me understand how I currently deal with stressful events and my natural approach to stressors. I felt I gained knowledge on my current “mental health fitness”. This was largely through the interactive conversations and follow up with my coach but also through the systematic simple approach of the course itself." (Member)

If you would like to know more or get involved, please contact the team at PEREI@flinders.edu.au or call us on (08) 8201 5978.

Living with or supporting a first responder can hold its own unique challenges, with the work also potentially impacting upon the wellbeing of partners, parents, family members, and close friends. These significant others of first responders will have access to a six week Be Well Plan delivered through self-paced weekly online modules.

The aim of the Be Well Plan for significant others is to enable family members or friends to increase their own resilience and wellbeing, as well as learn strategies to assist in supporting the first responder in their lives, for example, to notice and respond to early signs of lower wellbeing, and to learn skills to minimise the impact on other family members including children. 

The Be Well Plan is an evidence-based mental health wellbeing program which includes psychological and behavioural strategies that aim to improve mental states of wellbeing. Participants can identify wellness goals and choose from several strategies and skills to foster resilience and wellbeing.

Like the members program, significant others will have access to their own Wellbeing Coach who will provide support and information throughout the program.

Who can participate?

This program is available to significant supports (i.e., parents, partners, adult children, family members, close friends) of current members of the Country Fire Service, Metropolitan Fire Service and South Australia Police. There is no limitation on how many significant others of a serving member may take part, however in order for a significant other to be eligible, the first responder must be taking part or have taken part in the PEREI First Responder Wellbeing and Resilience Program for members.

What will I learn in the program?

• Setting and prioritising goals
• Focusing on targets and skills most relevant for themselves
• Strategies to put these into practice
• Healthy habits
• Impacts of living with and/or supporting a first responder

More about the program and structure

The Be Well Plan was developed by Be Well Co which is linked to the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI). The Be Well Plan has been further refined to include content and strategies tailored to individuals living with and/or supporting a first responder (e.g., their role in the member’s life and managing their own reactions to diverse occupational stressors experienced by the first responder).

As this research uses a randomised controlled design, first responder participants will be randomised by service location to either take part in the program immediately, or after a 12-month period. This is so the research team can compare the effects of the program for those who complete and those who do not. A significant other is able to participate immediately if their first responder is able to participate immediately. Otherwise, significant others will be able to access the Be Well Plan after a period of 12-months when the first responder is participating in the members program. All participants will be able to participate over the two-year period of the research project.

To evaluate program outcomes, there are some brief questionnaires about symptoms of anxiety, depression, PTSD, general wellbeing, and job stress to complete before, during and after the program and at follow-up times points.

If you would like to know more or get involved, please contact the team at PEREI@flinders.edu.au or call us on (08) 8201 5978.

Supervisors have a very important role in reducing the impact of traumatic stress, as well as identifying issues in their members and providing early intervention and support.

PEREI will be offering training for supervisors to better equip them with skills to support members around wellbeing and mental health; to ensure the ongoing promotion of a culture that reduces stigma and encourages help-seeking; and to address organisational and operational factors that influence first responder’s mental health. This training will be conducted through four 1-hour seminars, offered face to face or via video conference by trainers who are experienced in working with first responders.

Who can participate?

This program is available to supervisors of current members of the South Australian Country Fire Service, the South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service and South Australia Police.

In addition, supervisors can access the First Responder Wellbeing and Resilience program.

What does this training involve?

• Education about common mental health conditions in first responders
• Identifying and reducing stigma and promoting help-seeking behaviour
• Communicating about mental health and supporting yourself and members
• Understanding the importance of organisational and operational factors, and the role of positive working relationships, in the support of mental health in the workplace

More about the program and structure

These seminars target known factors of supervisor-member relationships associated with first responders’ wellbeing and build on existing research that shows good outcomes from such training. For example, research has associated supervisor training with reduced sick leave in fire and rescue members and behaviour changes by supervisors associated with members’ wellbeing including improved responsiveness to a member who might be suffering mental health challenges and proactive behaviours that can reduce the risk of poor mental health.

As this research uses a randomised controlled design, supervisors will be randomised by service location to either take part in the program immediately, or after a 12-month period. This is so the research team can compare the effects of the program for those who complete and those who do not. All supervisors will be able to access the program over the two-year period of the research project.

To evaluate program outcomes, there are some brief questionnaires about symptoms of anxiety, depression, PTSD, general wellbeing, and job stress to complete before, during and after the program and at follow-up times points.

What do supervisors think about the PEREI program?

“I felt compelled to send a thank you email to you both to acknowledge the great thing you are doing with the PEREI Project. I hope the project continues in years to come because it is very much needed. I’m definitely ‘old school’ in many ways but also like to think I’m pretty in tune with my mental health and that of my peers and subordinates but your program helped me a lot particularly in just drilling down on what to look out for and how to start those difficult conversations in particular.” (Supervisor)

“I found the PEREI Supervisor program to be a valuable learning opportunity over the 4-week period. I enjoyed the group input and discussion from other supervisors. I also learned a lot about mental illness, particularly PTSD and how to work through and potentially overcome the illness. From the group discussions, I also gained insight to the best way to engage with staff regarding mental health and broaching sensitive conversations as well as utilizing the resources provided by PEREI. I have also gained a lot from completing the members program. I found this course to be particularly helpful in learning about the ways of thinking and dealing with unhelpful thoughts, stress and mental health.” (Supervisor)

“I put the content into practice with a task we had with a SAAS crew. I gave them positive feedback after a traumatic event and they were totally blown away. They were very thankful for the praise and were amazed that I went out of my way to do so. This was absolutely linked to my studies with the PEREI program. Massive thank you!” (Supervisor)

If you would like to know more or get involved, please contact the team at PEREI@flinders.edu.au or call us on (08) 8201 5978.