Dena Ali's Blog (4)

This article is dedicated to the memory and legacy of Atlantic Beach Fire Department Chief Adam Snyder. Chief Snyder was an incredible husband, father, friend, mentor, leader, and advocate for mental health. Prior to his death, he led the Eastern Division of the North Carolina Peer Support Team. He never hesitated to be there for a fellow first responder in need, and on the second Tuesday of every month, he led first responder support group meetings open to anybody in need. He was the…

I read something the other day about a firefighter suicide that got under my skin. It said, "we need to do something, because what we are doing is not working."

While we will never be able to prevent or stop all suicides, we are making a difference.

Sadly, it's a difference that we will rarely quantify because sometimes, we rarely know the difference we make in the lives of others.

I know I have been in dark places, and all it took was a smile…

My heart hurts after learning of a fellow firefighter who died by suicide yesterday. This one is especially painful to me because Ron Gebhart didn't want to die by suicide. He recognized the progressive illness that is suicide, and he aggressively sought help, and tried to battle it's relentless power. He attended classes to understand mental health and suicide. He reached out to others for help.

But, sadly, preventing suicide is not as easy as sharing lifeline numbers. Once one has…

All,

I am conducting a pilot study through the University of North Carolina at Pembroke to better understand organizational factors that influence wellness.

The research conducted in conjunction with this survey explains the need for multifaceted wellness programs that address aerobic fitness, mental health, recovery, nutrition, and sleep. These areas are interconnected and all attribute to cardiovascular disease risk.

Abundant research has examined the effects of total…