Grand Blanc Township Police and Fire Departments have launched a new joint Peer Support Team to provide mental health support for first responders.
GRAND BLANC TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WJRT) – Grand Blanc Township Police and Fire Departments announced their new joint Peer Support Team Monday.
Members said the mental health support the departments received following the tragic shooting and fire at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in September shone a light on why they needed to bolster their own dedicated team.
Lt. Jonathan Swartz and Sgt. Michael Hertzberg, members of the new Peer Support Team, are among several working to provide 24/7 assistance for their colleagues.
“This is a tough field, a tough profession, where you see things every day that you can’t unsee,” Swartz said. “And we want them to be able to deal with it.”
Swartz, a member of the police department, also organized the new group. He explained that the goal is to help first responders by providing a listening ear and guiding them to the right resources.
They lend an ear to problems and concerns both big and small.
“It’s being able to defuse them and get them into the right places that they need, the right help that they need,” Swartz said.
Hertzberg, a fireman who responded to the Grand Blanc Township Church tragedy, shared his experience.
“It was definitely the worst call that I’ve responded to. I hope never to do it again, but obviously we’re prepared if we’re called upon for it,” Hertzberg said. “It’s still a heavy day. It’s still something that a lot of us are continuing to unpack and go through.”
The team has already received several calls and was inspired by the support they received from the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department following the Church tragedy.
“They had four or five deputies that came in and set up shop here in our police department and really were behind the scenes, helping us deal with the crisis and our mental health,” Swartz said.
In an emailed statement to ABC-12, Captain Todd Hill with the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office said that their Peer Support Team is dedicated to helping other First Responder agencies during critical incidents, helping them build resilient support systems and foster an organizational culture focused on officer wellness.
Now consisting of nine trained members, the Grand Blanc Township Peer Support Team has gone through crisis management and stress training. They plan to continue to train in various areas moving forward.
Although primarily an in-house resource, they welcome calls from other first responders in the county and beyond. The team also aims to change the culture around asking for help.
“I think it’s really important that not only are we saying that it’s okay to not be okay, but also to change the culture within the departments,” Hertzberg said. “The old adage that ‘this is what you signed up for’ needs to go away.”