VIDEO/PHOTOS: While most of Brevard County sleeps, many first responders are still wide awake — stepping into car wrecks on dark highways, entering homes where a tragedy has just unfolded, and making split-second decisions that can alter lives forever. They are trained to stay calm, professional and in control, even as the weight of what they witness quietly accumulates.
In Brevard County, a growing focus on mental wellness is reshaping how those on the front lines learn to carry stress and protect their own well-being — from peer-led programs to therapy dogs and mental health resources built into the job.
Rigs, the newest member of the Melbourne Fire Department, doesn’t carry a hose or respond to calls — but he has the uncanny ability to lift spirits on even the hardest days. Rigs is the department’s first therapy dog, and he’s tasked with helping firefighters cope with the difficult and often tragic incidents they respond to on a regular basis.
Lieutenant Kayla Burri seized the opportunity to bring a therapy K9 onboard after attending a fire convention where she noticed the booth everyone wanted to visit was the one with all the dogs, more specifically, therapy K9’s for first responders.
