HENRICO, Va. (WWBT) – Henrico County firefighters now have access to a new mental health app that allows them to seek support anonymously, making the department the first in the country to use the platform.
The app, called Sound Off, was developed by William Negley, a former CIA officer who served in Afghanistan. Negley said anonymity was central to the app’s design after observing that stigma prevented people from seeking help through traditional channels.
“We’re simply not going to walk it into CIA mental health services to talk about our drinking problems,” Negley said. “Like, that was just a non-starter.”
Henrico Fire Department(wwbt)
Negley originally launched Sound Off to serve veterans and U.S. Special Operations personnel. He said the first responder community faces elevated levels of trauma that often go unaddressed.
“We know in the first responder community there is significantly increased levels of trauma,” Negley said.
Users create an alias and link their organization to gain access to mental health and peer support resources matched to their background.
Henrico County firefighters now have access to a new mental health app that allows them to seek support anonymously, making the department the first in the country to use the platform.(wwbt)
“If you’re a Navy SEAL, if you’re a Henrico County firefighter, if you’re a Green Beret, what that allows us to do is pair you with the clinical or peer support resources that we have for you,” Negley said.
The decision to expand to first responders was shaped in part by a personal loss. Negley said his brother-in-law, a former Navy SEAL, died by suicide 127 days after separating from the service. “Meaningfully unlimited access to mental health support, but he was never going to walk into a room and expose himself like that,” Negley said.
Henrico County Division of Fire Chief Jackson Baynard said the death of a department lieutenant prompted leadership to move quickly to adopt the platform.
Henrico County Division of Fire Chief Jackson Baynard.(wwbt)
“One of our lieutenants, Michael O’Brien, committed suicide,” Baynard said. “As a chief of a department, that hit hard, hit heavy.”
Baynard said firefighters regularly encounter scenes that stay with them long after a call ends. “You can ask probably any firefighter, you know, what still haunts you to this day, and there will be calls that cycle through,” he said. “It’s taken to some people where they say, ‘I can’t do it anymore. I can’t see another body lying in the road. I can’t see another traffic fatality.’”
He said some firefighters have turned to alcohol to cope. “Maybe I just need to have a couple drinks to calm my nerves,” Baynard said.
Henrico County firefighters now have access to a new mental health app that allows them to seek support anonymously, making the department the first in the country to use the platform.(wwbt)
Amber Harris, an outreach case manager with the Henrico Fire Care Team, will serve as a peer supporter on the app. Harris said she has personal experience with substance use disorder.
“I almost lost everything due to my addiction — my children, my home, my vehicle, my nursing license was investigated,” Harris said. “So I have firsthand experience and knowledge of how difficult the disease of substance use disorder is and how much support and understanding is needed.”
Harris said her background will inform how she supports firefighters who reach out. “I love that with my experiences, I’ll be able to support our own folks that I know how hard they work,” she said.
Baynard said the department hopes the app will have a direct impact. “Hopefully it will save lives,” he said.
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