Visits to fire stations, police departments, emergency rooms, and 911-call centers, dispatch centers are scheduled in advance.
During the one to two-hour visits, therapy dog teams spend time with the personnel on shift bringing an instant uplift to the mood and energy in the room.
Following a challenging call, a debriefing session typically occurs with the first responders involved. A therapy dog joins to assist attendees in addressing their emotional responses to what they experienced during a high stress incident. The dogs handler also attends but does not participate in the session.
"When I am facilitating a debr
Following a challenging call, a debriefing session typically occurs with the first responders involved. A therapy dog joins to assist attendees in addressing their emotional responses to what they experienced during a high stress incident. The dogs handler also attends but does not participate in the session.
"When I am facilitating a debriefing about a difficult critical event, it is wonderful to have a dog making the rounds around the room. It just brings a smile to people's faces and helps calm them down." ~ Joel Faye, PsyD
Wild Land Fire Base Camp visits are offered in Arizona, California, Colorado, and Oregon. Visits occur as the fire fighter are getting ready to go back on shift to continue battling a fire. In California, First Responder Therapy Dogs coordinates visits with Cal Fire and the U.S. Forest Service. These visits take place over several days as the team(s) visit personnel on different shifts.
We have a lot of departments and/or organizations that reach out to request a visit for a variety of reasons (trainings, events, regular shift visits, peer support, etc.). If you, your department, or your organization would like a visit, please fill out the form below to set that up (we do our best to accommodate every request, providing we have a team within your area of the country).
For general information | Info@firstrespondertherapydogs.org 415-250-8107
First Responder Therapy Dogs, INC 2100 4th Street #C153, San Rafael, CA 94901
First Responder Therapy Dogs, INC is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit. Tax ID #88-1386472.
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