MISSOULA — It’s a topic we often don’t address: the mental health of our first responders.
“We don’t get to choose where to go,” said Missoula Police Department Lt. Sean Manraksa. “And we don’t choose how that affects each and every one of us individually.”
Manraksa and other rescuers see the worst in humanity. And after 18 years of serving on the force, from his own personal struggles to what he has seen in the field, Manraksa wants others to know that they are not alone.
And that was the birth of the Throw-A-Thon. A 24-hour event aimed at raising awareness and funds to help fund mental health resources for first responders.
“We give them a one-stop shop where they can call a phone number with confidence, it’s out of town or out of county, no one knows,” said Mike McGrew, co-founder of 911 At Ease International. with a culturally competent therapist.
McGrew was a police officer for 31 years and started 911 At Ease International as a mental health resource after dealing with his own trauma on the job. The group has helped more than 5,000 first responders since its launch in 2014, a need that has only grown.
“During the pandemic, there was a really big spike and a lot of issues that people didn’t think about as first responders put themselves in harm’s way,” McGrew told MTN News. “It wasn’t just him anymore. , they were putting his family in danger.”
Manraksa echoed a similar sentiment, emphasizing how first responders are human too.
“No matter what you put into these scenarios, they’re going to have some residual effects and it’s going to affect their mental health, in a variety of different ways because everyone’s ability to recover is different based on their own life experiences,” Maraksa told MTN News. . “And even if people think we’re supposed to be tough and strong, we’re still human.”
The Throw-A-Thon helps engage the community in the conversation about first responder mental health.
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