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Fortem Australia is a not-for-profit organisation that supports the mental fitness and wellbeing of first responder families. Every day, more than 300,000 first responders keep our communities safe. They are backed up by their families: partners, children and parents. All of them hold vital and challenging roles. We help them to be well, and stay well, through mental fitness, support services and wellbeing activities. These are their stories.
A sweet wellbeing activity for first responder families!
Who doesn’t love cupcakes? Imagine if you had the chance to decorate them and eat them whilst making new friends. Fortem brought together a group of first responders families to
Lockdown activities for first responder families.
With communities around Australia living with the pressures of COVID-19, and nearly half our population in lockdown the Fortem team has moved quickly to fill our Wellbeing Activities Calendar with
You can’t just sign trauma away – Josh and Shelly Lavender.
On the day that Fortem Australia drops in on Josh and Shelly Lavender, the skies above their home on the NSW Far South Coast are brilliant blue. Wednesdays are precious to the couple because
Suicide first-aid training to build strength in first responder community – register now!
As a first responder or family member you probably have extensive training in how to keep people physically safe. You are encouraged to keep skills like CPR up to date as part of your professional and personal toolkit but what about when it
Snowy Monaro paramedics have a hoot digging for buried ‘treasure’.
What happens when you ask 11 paramedics to suggest a social connection and wellbeing activity? The answer is – you end up scratching around in dirt, for an obscure fungus worth
RFS vs SES Mystery Box Cooking Challenge, and the winner is…
SES and RFS members from the Bega Valley and Eurobodalla donned aprons and game faces recently for a hotly anticipated mystery box cooking challenge. Bermagui chef Kelly Eastwood, who is
Fortem Talks – Heather Millard, Chaplain with NSW Ambulance.
The challenges of the last two years are felt across our community, first responders and their families feel it too, but carry an extra weight because of the work they
The hidden wounds of first responders: and how Fortem is answering the call.
Monday’s edition of ‘A Current Affair‘ featured the story of former Australian Federal Police officer Jason Taylor and his courageous battle with PTSD. Sadly, Jason’s story is not an uncommon one –
Local first responders offered free, face to face suicide first aid training.
Increasingly first responders are dealing with call outs where they are having to support people in mental distress and expressing suicidal behaviour. It’s a situation that requires a special skill set beyond what these women and
Snowy Valley’s Family Day helps heal bushfire scars.
In the Summer of 2019-20, communities around Australia were ravaged as bushfires raced through many parts of the country, leaving heartbreak in their wake. The Snowy Valley’s region was among the worst hit, by the
The Harder Courage – going beyond your comfort zone.
We all know first responders face dangers, stresses and hardships every day. They do it willingly – even cheerfully – and they don’t ask for thanks or recognition in return.
Family Story: ‘When he’s willing to talk, everything has to go on hold’
He’d done a few afternoon shifts in a row, and I felt like we hadn’t really seen each other all week. I had all this information that I needed to tell
