In addition to serving as a State Representative, I facilitate “The Elephant In The Room Series” at the New Hampshire Theatre Project, where we use scripted play readings and guided discussions to explore difficult topics.
For the past three years, one of our major programs, “Aftermath,” has focused on post-traumatic stress and first responders. The impact of repeated trauma on police officers, firefighters, EMTs, dispatchers and search-and-rescue volunteers was not surprising. What was surprising — and deeply troubling — was how many first responders from small communities described how difficult it is to access care.
We heard from a dispatcher who took a call involving their own family member and could not leave their post to help. From responders who searched horrific accident scenes for body parts. From those who combed remote woods at 2 a.m. looking for a colleague who intended self-harm. A former responder vividly described a traumatic accident from more than 30 years ago — and how every time he drives past that stretch of road, the memory returns.
We also heard from family members who described the quiet toll the job takes at home. From town managers who wanted to help but lacked resources. From leaders in small towns facing a simple truth: there is not enough support.
Workers’ compensation technically covers first responders who develop medically defined PTSD. But accessing it is complex and costly. There is little help for those struggling before symptoms rise to that level. Meanwhile, rates of alcoholism, substance misuse and suicide among first responders remain higher than in many other professions.
Larger New Hampshire municipalities often offer insurance plans that include Employee Assistance Programs. Smaller and more remote communities — especially those reliant on volunteers — often cannot.
That gap is exactly what HB 1705-FN addresses.
The bill establishes a First Responders Support Fund within the Department of Health and Human Services to enroll first responders from communities with no more than five full-time paid responders — including volunteers — into New Hampshire’s existing Employee Assistance Program.
This state-provided EAP offers comprehensive, confidential mental health support, including services for post-traumatic stress, and is accessible remotely, eliminating geographic barriers. The bill creates a nonlapsing fund to cover enrollment and administrative costs and requires annual reporting to ensure transparency and accountability.
In short: it builds the infrastructure for early access to care.
Providing early, accessible care is not only compassionate policy — it is fiscally responsible.
Recruiting, hiring and training a police officer in New Hampshire costs more than $70,000. For firefighters, the cost ranges from $10,000 to $40,000. When experienced responders leave due to untreated trauma, communities shoulder those costs repeatedly.
PTSD claims through workers’ compensation are also expensive. Direct treatment often ranges from $11,000 to $19,000. With lost wages and long-term care, severe cases can exceed $50,000 — and sometimes surpass $500,000.
By contrast, enrolling a responder in an EAP and providing early counseling costs a fraction of that amount. The proposed $114,000 allocation would cover approximately 6,000 first responders who currently lack access to an EAP or other mental health care.
One career firefighter/EMT who attended our presentation shared:
“This was a little tough for me and some of my former colleagues. I’ve healed, but the wound is still sensitive. I feel ‘Aftermath’ is extremely valuable for community leaders to understand the jovial first responder may have hidden wounds that need attention … I’ve been called to look for a despondent colleague deep in the woods at 2 a.m. … Sometimes, a call hits too close to home.”
Behind the steady voice on the radio. Behind the uniform. Behind the professionalism.
Human beings absorb trauma on behalf of the rest of us.
In our small towns, those human beings are often volunteers. They are our neighbors. They coach our kids. They plow our roads. Co-sponsor Republican Representative Margaret Drye spoke on the House Floor confirming when something goes wrong — whether it is 3 a.m. or 8 p.m., on Christmas morning or Thanksgiving dinner — first responders leave their families and answer the call.
We ask them to be strong for us.
HB1705-FN asks that we be smart for them.
Early access to care prevents suffering. It saves money. It protects families. It strengthens communities. Most importantly, it tells our first responders — especially in our smallest towns — that their mental health matters just as much as the emergencies they respond to.
That is not a luxury.
It is a responsibility.
By a roll call vote of 194-154, HB1705-FN passed the New Hampshire House of Representatives. It will be heard in the New Hampshire Senate EDA committee on Wednesday, April 8. Please contact your State Senator and urge support for this bill.
Durham Democrat Loren Selig represents Strafford District 10 in the House of Representatives.