OUR STORY

First responders protect and care for our community. The work they do is vitally important, but it is also often confronting, traumatic and dangerous.

First responders are more than twice as likely to have suicidal thoughts and to experience high psychological distress.

More than half of all emergency responders are deeply impacted by the trauma faced in the course of their duties.

Family members are heavily impacted by these mental health challenges.

These are big problems.

Fortem is part of the solution.

Through our co-founders’ previous work at Soldier On, we saw first-hand how veterans and their families benefited from social connection and mental health support. Families told us that this support saved their relationships; veterans said it saved their lives.

It became clear that first responder families need similar support, provided in a way that serves the unique challenges they face.

Fortem was founded to provide specialised wellbeing and mental fitness support to first responder families.

The devastating Black Summer bushfires in 2019-2020, and the associated trauma endured by first responder families, intensified the need for urgent mental health and wellbeing support for these members of our community.

We are a national not-for-profit organisation with a community approach.

We use research and best practice to develop wellbeing activities, community engagement and psychological support that support the mental health and wellbeing of the people who work in our national security and emergency responder communities. This means supporting their families too.

We operate with a family-first approach.

Family members are dealing with things like shift work, lone parenting, worry about their loved one at work, not to mention the impact of the first responder’s stress or trauma. All of these things can take a toll on the family unit.

We exist to connect first responder families together, to create healthier, more resilient families.

The power of connection and reaching out for help have never been as critical as they are now. Our team is passionate about creating change for first responder families, and we look forward to connecting with you.