Multi-Faceted Approach Helps Bring Fire-Based EMS Service to Sonoma County, CA

NEP Media's Jim Aleski talks with PJ Goldfeder, a more than 23 year Yonkers (NY) Fire Department veteran and Assistant Chief. PJ also serves as the Yonkers Uniformed Fire Officers Association (UFOA) President and a Customer Success Manager for NEP Services. Jim and PJ discuss the Yonkers UFOA's recent communication strategies during the 2023 election season, their success with digital targeting and brand building within their city, and much more.

NEP Media's Jim Aleski talks with Dave Gillotte, a more than 35 year fire service veteran currently serving as a Captain in the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Dave has been on the board of LA County Firefighters IAFF Local 1014 for 26 years, including serving as President of the more than 3,400-member union for the last 22 years. Dave also serves on the Executive Board of California Professional Firefighters as well as on many other public safety related boards and committees.

NEP Media's Jim Aleski talks with Dr. Kerry Ramella, LPC, Ph.D., Owner and Clinical director of Public Safety Crisis Solutions, a Phoenix, AZ based counseling and wellness center. Dr. Ramella is former radio dispatcher and 911 operator and has more than 35 years of public safety and clinical mental health experience and works with numerous public safety and behavioral health committees and programs.

NEP Media's Jim Aleski talks with Matty Fiorenza, a retired Anaheim (CA) Firefighter / Paramedic who now works with Recovery First First Responders Treatment Centers, helping first responders struggling with mental health and substance abuse disorders. Matty is also featured in the documentary film PTSD911 which explores the struggle of first responders battling the demons of PTSD.

When Roseville Firefighters IAFF Local 1592 suffered the loss of two retired firefighters recently, the association’s leaders realized that they also had lost two careers worth of history, stories, and firefighting acumen that comes from decades of experience responding to emergencies on a fire truck. 

The union needed a way to preserve the memories, lessons learned, and stories from around the firehouse that each member accumulates throughout the career, which led to the idea of a documentary to capture their firefighters’ experiences for the next generation. 

That idea culminated in Stories From the Fire House Table: Roseville Firefighters Local 1592 Documentary, a 54-minute documentary on YouTube that allows Roseville’s past to live on while giving the public an intimate view of the life of the firefighters who serve them. 

NEP Media's Jim Aleski talks with Michele Freeman, PhD, a nearly 30 year law enforcement veteran who served for almost a decade as Chief of the City of Las Vegas Department of Public Safety. Dr. Freeman earned her Doctor of Public Policy Degree, which focused on Suicide Awareness and Prevention for Law Enforcement Officers from UNLV and has been a long-time volunteer with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Nevada chapter. Dr. Freeman facilitates educational programs dedicated to resiliency, mental wellness, emotional health, self-care, holistic wellness, suicide awareness and prevention, and overall well-being.

NEP Media's Jim Aleski talks with Mynda Ohs, PhD, a Las Vegas based Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (LMFT) who specializes in critical incident debriefings, counseling services, crisis intervention, suicide prevention and more. She works extensively with retired emergency services personnel, a rapidly growing and often under served and under supported segment of first responders. 

Dr. Ohs is also the author of two books, Fully Involved: A Guide For Being In A Relationship With A Firefighter and When The Calls Stop: Retiring As A First Responder. Both are available on Amazon for Kindle or in paperback.

Dr. Ohs can be found on the web at https://fullyinvolvedlife.com/ 

Too often, the private ambulance company contracted to respond to medical emergencies throughout the county would put their bottom line above service, closing ambulances and leaving residents without the care they deserve when they need it the most. As wait times for ambulances grew, the Professional Fire Fighters of Sonoma County IAFF Local 1401 saw an opportunity to fundamentally transform EMS service in the area by putting it in the hands of the fire fighters who already respond to medical emergencies throughout the county.

NEP Media's Jim Aleski sits down with Jake Windell, a Firefighter/Paramedic from the Los Angeles County Fire Department who serves as his agency's Peer Support Leader and K-9 Coordinator.

Jake talks about the peer support and mental health initiatives in place for LA County Fire Department members including a therapy dog program.

For more information on these programs, Jake can be reached via Los Angeles County Firefighters IAFF Local 1014 or at Jacob.Windell@fire.lacounty.gov.

When one of our brothers or sisters is diagnosed with cancer, we are all profoundly affected. It is important to remember, however, that individuals will respond to their diagnosis in their own unique way. Some people may keep their diagnosis private and some may not want to talk about their diagnosis at all.