in 2018 with a mission to “put PTSD out of business.” Allen and Monroe will serve as keynote speakers at the First Responders Resiliency fundraising gala, Nov. 1 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at Sally Tomatoes event center in Rohnert Park. (It’s also Allen’s birthday that day.) For tickets and info, check out resiliency1st. org/event/responder-resiliency-gala. NorthBay biz recently spoke with Rick Allen about his support for North Bay first responders and his nearly 50- year legacy with Def Leppard. …… You became familiar with First Responders Resiliency through Raven Drum’s support for first responders and victims of the Tubbs Fire. And that began in 2023 with a partnership to hold drumming events at Chateau Diana Winery near Healdsburg? I met [Chateau Diana owner] Cory Manning through Todd Sucherman, drummer with the band Styx. Cory was taking drum lessons and we got to learn about what he went through in the Tubbs Fire and how his relationship developed with First Responders [Resiliency]. And that’s really where the connection with Raven Drum came in, and when we got to meet Susan Farren. And you’re now one of the nonprofit’s most ardent supporters. Now we’re kind of locked in. We love coming to the area. We see this incredible need. Fire season doesn’t get any shorter. It’s more random these days. We really see the trauma in our first responders and between Raven Drum and First Responders Resiliency we’re creating healthy individuals coming to a scene. Because the last thing someone in crisis needs is a first responder also in crisis. It’s your worst day—and what if the first responder is in a bad way themselves? You want that person to take command and control of the situation. That’s really what this is all about. Creating comprehensive programs for our first responders so they can remain [at their best].
Healthy first responders at the scene are critical. And so is healthy support during recovery. Did you have that following your accident? The amount of outreach and people who sent letters, my family, people around me, friends, the band. It allowed me to find a part of myself that I never tapped into before. Def Leppard was the first band I got into as a kid. I was 12 and can remember where I was in my house when I heard on the radio about your accident. It was because of people like you that helped me find the power of the human spirit. You’ve said before that, in losing your arm, you’ve gained a lot as well. Can you expand on that? People say, “Would you have done things differently?” In many ways going through what I went through—extreme trauma—it has elevated my life experience. More empathy toward others—just a general feeling of wanting to help people. You make a point of referring to Post Traumatic Stress as PTS—no “D.” No “disorder.” I’m glad you call it PTS. It’s something we can help. PTS has changed in terms of terminology. PTS Growth is a good one. I like the fact that you can reframe it. They once called it “soldier syndrome.” This sort of deregulation of the nervous system. Science has caught up. It understands the mechanisms that put [a person at risk]. Even before your accident, Def Leppard had touched on “soldier syndrome” in songs like “Die Hard the Hunter,” about a Vietnam vet beset by the trauma of the war. That was what we were going for. We touched on it quite a bit over the years. There’s nothing more critical during an emergency than physically and mentally healthy first responders. The people who came to your rescue in 1984 are examples of that—and they’ve got a great story as well. The really interesting thing about first responders is they’re a different breed. The two people that first came on the scene when I had my accident—Eileen was a nurse and Roger was a cop and the two of them were off duty. There’s no such thing as an off-duty first responder. It’s the way
Responders Resiliency Gala Help “put PTSD out of business” at the annual First Responders Resiliency Gala, a celebration of community and the vital mission of supporting those who serve. The event is Nov. 1 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at Sally Tomatoes event center, 1500 Valley House Drive in Rohnert Park. Attendees will have a chance to bid on a signed Def Leppard guitar, donated by legendary drummer Rick Allen—exclusively auctioned off at the gala. Keynote speakers at the event include Rick Allen, drummer of Def Leppard, and Lauren Monroe, co-founder of Raven Drum Foundation and VIP Experience. General admission is $125. For more information, visit resiliency1st.org, call 707- 625-0636 or email register@ resiliency1st.org.
October 2025
NorthBaybiz 27
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