Megan Taylor

Recently, a group of first responders and their family members met at Trigg Beach to catch some waves and meet some new people.

Fortem Australia is reminding the first responder community that support is available for those dealing with the trauma of the recent tragedy in Queensland.

Recently, Fortem Australia was delighted to accept a $35,000 donation from Toll Group to help the not-for-profit organisation continue its mental health support for first responders.

Social connectedness is the strongest predictor of mental health and wellbeing after stress and trauma.

This funding will allow Fortem to address a growing waitlist of first responders who are seeking clinical support to address mental health problems.

As well as the difficulties that come with a decade-long career as a police officer, Vanessa also witnessed the death of her training partner while on a ride in 2010.

When the opportunity arose for first responders to run the New York Marathon, Queensland Police Officer Dan Wicks knew he wanted to be part of it. He had been selected as a reserve runner, in case one of the original four were not able to make it. Last month, he got the call to say that he would be on the plane with them.

Losing someone you care about looks different for everyone. As clinicians, we often witness people in their journey of loss and traumatic experiences. However, we are not always the experts. You as the first responder community are, regrettably, and too often, the experts on what it feels like to live with the loss of a colleague to suicide.

Susan Forte has always been a runner. It is something she has done since her early days of primary school. As a high schooler, she represented Queensland in track running and cross country at the Australian titles numerous times. In her own words: Running is her life.