Our impact

As a former police officer who lives with a mental health diagnosis as a direct result of first responder employment, I am confident that my journey would not have been as lonely or jarring had Fortem been around during my struggles in 2013, and my subsequent transition out of service in mid-2015. There is also a strong chance that I may have received the supports required to recover from my mental health injury and continue to serve the Queensland community as a police officer had Fortem been available at the time.

I am also confident that my marriage wouldn’t have fractured to the extent that it did. It’s fair to say that my police career was a key ingredient in the implosion of our relationship. It took a lot of time and care to rebuild our relationship back to where it is. I’m confident that had Fortem’s services been available at the time, my wife and I would have received vital opportunities to connect with each other and learn about the family impact of first responder work. Helping to build healthy and connected first responder families is so important, and it’s seldom done well. To me, Fortem’s family-first approach is the most important aspect of the work they do.

Fortem’s independence from first responder agencies is also quite significant. During my mental health challenges as a police officer, I was reluctant to seek internal supports offered, as they were often viewed as inadequate and that it was a career ending move to access these services. As a result of the shortcomings of internal agency services, I was desperately searching for confidential, external community support, but this did not exist at the time of my mental health diagnosis. From my perspective, reputable and independent support organisation did not exist until Fortem Australia was founded.

Fortem Australia is a critically important organisation performing lifesaving mental health and wellbeing supports to first responder families across Australia. I am highly passionate about Fortem Australia’s work because it exists to provide the support that I once wished I had received. The assistance that every first responder deserves. And it’s only right that this support is extended to families, who are often forgotten in terms of support services. Family is everything, and Fortem Australia recognises this by ensuring that family is at the heart of everything they do.

Former QLD Police Officer

First responders are very private people – you don’t share a lot with your world, and you don’t talk about it, you just keep it inside. This is the first time I have really been connected to other services because of Fortem. I didn’t realise how well Fortem was involved with police and then all of a sudden, out of the woodwork, I got my local police officers inviting me to join their running group.

I thought I was very solo; I had a couple of paramedics that I would run with every now and then, but now it is very exciting to feel this level of community and camaraderie as everyone is now supporting me from other services in my local area.

Paramedic, NSW Ambulance