STORIES
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.Ā These are their stories.

Family Story: āI rarely get a good nightās sleep, because Iām waiting for him to get home safelyā
Sleeping has become a real challenge for me. I donāt get into a deep sleep because Iām waiting for my husband ā whoās a police officer ā to come home.

Connecting over a new creative skill: acrylic paint pouring
Ssshh! Don’t tell the grandparents, but they’re getting a beautiful artwork for Christmas from these Gold Coast first responder families. With two opportunities to make the perfect piece through the

First responder families’ creative juices flow in resin jewellery workshop
The evening started with everyone arriving to the studio, in a gorgeous little coastal town in the Illawarra. Armed with an apron and safety glasses, each participant sat around the table

I work with first responders and I want them to know this: It’s time to start the conversation
When someone has PTSD, most people assume that one traumatic event caused it. Even the very definition and diagnostic criteria for the disorder would indicate that this is the case.

Jiu Jitsu: the perfect way for families to connect
The temperatures were soaring as first responder families arrived at the martial arts centre for their first Brazilian Jiu Jitsu lesson. With plans to continue the family-time theme for the

First responders take to mindfulness in specialised yoga class
Fortem was pleased to offer a session of yoga designed specifically for first responders, in partnership with Frontline Yoga. The session, held online so that our first responder participants could

Smiles all ’round at the wildlife park
First responders enjoyed a recent day out with family and friends, meeting new people and taking in the sights of some furry critters. It was a great way to enjoy

First Responder Story: āVolunteering is a big part of our identity, but weāre disconnected this yearā
WARNING: This article contains confronting content Volunteering is a big part of our identity. Because of coronavirus, we havenāt had face-to-face training since March, and we donāt know when itāll

Kidding around at the goat farm
Have you ever fed a baby goat? If you never have, you should ā itās fun, and fun is good (to paraphrase Dr Seuss). The bottle-feeding was one of the



