By Josh Reyes, WorldHerald Bureau
Omaha World-Herald
LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska first responders told a panel of lawmakers Thursday that the stresses of their jobs often lead them to seek support from their peers.
They’re asking the Legislature to ensure those conversations are confidential.
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Bills from a trio of lawmakers propose protecting peer support counseling from being used in court or in disciplinary proceedings.
“We have a shared purpose to provide critical mental health supports for Nebraska’s first responders,” Fremont State Sen. Dave Wordekemper, a former firefighter, said at a hearing of the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee. Sens. Dan Lonowski of Hastings and Tanya Storer of Whitman also wrote bills on the subject.
Wordekemper introduced Legislative Bill 755, Lonowski LB 804 and Storer LB 816. The bills may combine over the course of the legislative process.
Police officers and firefighters said their professions have high rates of burnout, substance abuse, divorce and suicide.
Lincoln Police Department Capt. Max Hubka leads his department’s peer support program and said the bills would provide “psychological safety” and encourage more to participate.
Higher participation means stronger agencies and stronger protections for communities, he said.
Matt Tennant, an Omaha fire captain and peer support coordinator for the union, said peer support is effective because first responders can relate to one another.
“We’ve walked in their shoes. We know what they struggle with. We know the smells, the sights and the sounds that they experience, and many therapists are not prepared for working with first responders,” Tennant said.
Over time, he noted, first responders have built a network of culturally competent mental health professionals to whom they can refer peers who need additional support.
The bills contain exceptions for instances of homicidal or suicidal ideation, domestic abuse and criminality. Supporters of the bill compared the exceptions to those in professional mental health settings.
About a dozen first responders, union representatives and mental health professionals supported the proposals. No one spoke in opposition to the bills.
Lawmakers took no immediate action Thursday.
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