New Hampshire Hosts First Responder Health and Wellness Summit with Governor Chris Sununu, Department of Safety Commissioner Robert Quinn, At&T and FirstNet Authority

Durham, New Hampshire – A 2-day regional public safety summit attended by approximately 100 first responders from across New Hampshire and New England concluded this afternoon in Durham. The summit, held on the University of New Hampshire campus, was hosted by the State of New Hampshire and sponsored by FirstNet®, Built with AT&T.

Along with viewing technology and resource demonstrations, attendees participated in a daylong health and wellness training workshop with the All Clear Foundation. Compared to the general population, first responders experience higher rates of depression, post-traumatic stress, burnout, anxiety and other mental health issues.¹ In law enforcement, one study found a more than 20-year difference in life expectancy compared to the average American male.²

Governor Chris Sununu joined Department of Safety Commissioner Robert L. Quinn and University of New Hampshire Police Chief Paul Dean to speak with first responders about the importance of mental well-being. May is observed nationally as Mental Health Awareness Month.

"This was an unspoken crisis 5, 10 years ago. And we're doing everything we can at the state level to really bring it to light," Governor Sununu said at the summit. "It hits all of us in some way. Whether it's in our departments, whether it's in our family, whether it's a coworker, whether it's at home – it could be anywhere."

Dr. Anna Courie, FirstNet's Director of Responder Wellness and a national expert in first responder health and wellness, offered critical guidance, statistics and best practices for all members of the public safety community during a keynote speech.

The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) is an independent authority within the U.S. Department of Commerce that was first chartered in 2012. FirstNet's mission is to deploy, operate, maintain and improve the first high-speed, nationwide wireless broadband network dedicated to public safety; providing a single interoperable platform for emergency and daily communications.

"It's your lifeline. It will save lives. It matters," Commissioner Quinn said at the summit. "There's nothing more important than sustainable communication when you need it. I'm so pleased that FirstNet and AT&T have supported us in the investment that we need to make for all of our first responders."

FirstNet's Jason Porter and Stephen Benjamin, Chairman of the FirstNet Authority Board, the federal governing body that oversees FirstNet, also addressed attendees.

First responders also had opportunities to interact with Dex, a specially-trained therapy dog that is part of FirstNet's ROG the Dog program.

For additional information about FirstNet, contact: Karen Twomey, AT&T Corporate Communications kv083a@att.com - Phone: 508-370-2535

¹ Purvis, M., Fullencamp, L. & Docherty, M. (2020). Animal Assisted Therapy on Law Enforcement Mental Health: A Therapy Dog Implementation Guide. Bowling Green University.
² https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4734369/