Grief On the Front Line: Exploring Duty-Bound Grief for First Responders

This webinar delves into the unique emotional experiences of First Responders, exploring the impact of continuous exposure to potentially traumatizing events and grief. Beginning with an introduction to the “bucket analogy,” participants will reflect on how personal experiences shape their emotional responses to the job. As first responders encounter repeated potentially traumatic events, many develop coping mechanisms, such as compartmentalization, to function in the moment—often neglecting to process these emotions over time. This webinar will highlight how this emotional repression can eventually affect job performance, personal relationships, mental health, and overall wellbeing.

A key focus will be an introduction to the “Duty-Bound Grief,” concept, a phenomenon that has historically been overlooked but is crucial to understanding the experienced grief unique to first responders. By bringing awareness to this experience, the webinar aims to reduce feelings of isolation and create space for healthier emotional processing, as well as recommendations on how we can integrate mental wellness into our operational readiness practices.