Madden Bill Establishing Hotline for Fire and EMS Clears Law and Public Safety Committee

TRENTON – A bill directing the establishment of a 24-hour, toll free crisis hotline for firefighters and EMS employees cleared the Senate Law and Public Safety Committee today.

The bill, sponsored by Senator Fred Madden, would direct the Department of Community Affairs, in collaboration with Rutgers University Behavioral Healthcare, to establish a round-the-clock “New Jersey Fire and EMS Crisis Intervention Services” telephone hotline. It would also require the department and university to consult with representatives of certain fire and emergency services and organizations with establishing the hotline. The hotline would be available to fire and emergency services personnel experiencing depression, anxiety, or any other condition related to mental health.

“Emergency services workers and firefighters have tough jobs, and unfortunately, mental health problems often come with the territory,” said Senator Madden (D- Camden, Gloucester). “It’s important that we honor their unselfish commitment to their communities by being there for them when they are in need.”

The operators of the hotline would be trained by the department and university. To the greatest extent possible, the operators would be familiar with the post-traumatic disorders often experienced by fire and emergency services personnel, and trained to provide counseling services involving marriage and family life, substance abuse, personal stress management, and other mental health-related conditions that adversely affect people in these fields.

The bill would also recommend that the State annually appropriate at least $250,000, with the amount determined by the Commissioner of Community Affairs, to support the costs associated with operating and maintaining the telephone hotline. This appropriation would be supported by the fees and penalties collected by fire code enforcement activities.

According to a recent study, one third of first responders were diagnosed with either depression or post-traumatic stress disorder. Half of them had not received treatment for mental illness or pre-exposure training, which is designed to prepare first responders for traumatic events on the job.

Previously, the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey maintained a similar hotline, the “NJ Fire and EMS Lifeline,” but it was discontinued in 2009. The cost of running the hotline was roughly $90,000 per year.

The bill passed by a vote of 5-0. It next goes to the full Senate.