Dog duo helps provide first responders in D.C. with extra support
First responders defended the Capitol for hours on Jan. 6, many getting beaten, trampled and pepper-sprayed or witnessing their colleagues under assault. A few months later, the group’s pain was heightened by another attack when a driver drove his car into a gate outside the scene of the insurrection, killing one Capitol Police officer and injuring another.
After each traumatic event, a peer-support team responded to provide emotional and mental health support to their colleagues. One jurisdiction brought in a dog. The canine turned out to be an icebreaker and a source of comfort that made it easier for people to open up. “That dog changed everything from my standpoint watching,” Sgt. Scott Creelman of the D.C. Fire and EMS Department and a peer-support team member, said. “That dog was simply amazing.”
Seeing that success, the D.C. fire department and D.C. Firefighters Association, International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) Local 36, added two furry companions as members of the peer-support team in October: Levi, a 6-year-old German shepherd, and Avery, a 4-year-old chocolate Lab. “It just makes everybody feel better when the dogs come into the room,” said Levi’s handler, EMS Capt. Sharon Moulton.
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The fire department and union created the peer-support team in 2019 to help and support members dealing with emotional stress or mental health challenges, the department said, striving to create a space where first responders can support each other and talk after traumatic events. The team played a crucial role after the insurrection, meeting with about 600 Capitol Police officers who needed help after the attack, the department said.
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“People start coming up wanting to pet the dogs, and then sometimes people start opening up or they’ll feel more at ease to just say, ‘Hey, can I talk to you on the side?’," Woods said.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/01/21/dc-fire-peer-support-dogs/
Chocolate lab Avery, left, and German shepherd Levi.
= new reply since forum marked as read
Glad you labeled them, they look so much alike.
Sorry, low hanging fruit.
Doing amazing work. 