BEST BUSINESS COMMUNITY LEADER
S USAN FARREN
“I am surrounded with a team of people who are passionate, like- minded, and totally committed to the mission of changing the culture for first responders and their families.” —Susan Farren
By Rosie Padilla
S usan Farren exemplifies the passion and dedication necessary to lead the nonprofit First Responders Resiliency. The establishment of First Responders Resiliency, rooted in personal experience for Farren, has continued to influence how Sonoma County views the mental health of its emergency and law enforcement personnel— and this year, it’s led to Farren being awarded Best Business Community Leader in the annual Best of the North Bay 2024 readers’ poll. Farren, a retired paramedic, has spent most of her career in the pre-hospital-care industry, watching as the stress of the job slowly chipped away at her peers’ mental health—as well as her own. In 2016, Farren underwent major surgery after being diagnosed with kidney cancer. In researching her condition, she found herself engulfed in studies surrounding the physical, emotional and mental impacts that occur while working as a first responder. Inspired to act, Farren founded First Responders Resiliency in 2018. According to the nonprofit’s website, the organization provides a proactive science-based approach to dealing with the physiological, neurological, psychological and emotional effects of trauma, as well as mitigating the stress on first responders and their families. “I am surrounded with a team of people who are passionate, like-minded and totally committed to the mission of changing the culture for first responders and their families,” says Farren. “Which makes leading an absolute joy.” Created for first responders by first responders, the program is designed to decrease stress and enhance resiliency in professionals who work in fire, law enforcement, dispatch and other emergency departments. “Starting this nonprofit has been the most rewarding
experience of my professional life. For 30 years, I helped the lives of strangers, and now I get to help the lives of my colleagues and their families! It is such a gift,” says Farren. The nonprofit presents some alarming data to invoke a call to action among the general public. Perhaps most concerning: First responders have a shorter life expectancy than the average person—and experience higher rates of suicide. The Ruderman White Paper on Mental Health and Suicide of First Responders, published in 2018, reported that PTSD and depression rates among firefighters and police officers have been found to be as much as five times higher than the rates within the civilian population. Farren describes this “suffering in silence” that occurred when she was a paramedic. First responders she knew would often cope with trauma by suppressing memories, drinking alcohol or isolating from friends and family. “We weren’t taught how to deal with the things we could see, hear and smell,” she says. Now with First Responders Resiliency, Farren hopes to educate the masses on the way first responders are affected by their years in such physically and mentally demanding positions. Taking a more proactive approach and teaching first responders impactful ways to reduce and manage stress can allow for more professional and personal resilience. “It’s overwhelming to receive an award like this,” she says. “We’ve been so busy training first responders and their families—I forget to look up and see how far we’ve come— and to be recognized for it is unexpected and fills me with profound gratitude.” Next steps for the nonprofit include building a wellness center that will offer real-time support and assistance. If you’re interested in contributing to its mission visit resiliency1st.org. v
resiliency1st.org
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Best of the North Bay 2024
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