Colorado company looks to support first responders for Mental Health Awareness Month

By OLIVIA YOUNG

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    COLORADO (KCNC) — A Colorado company is helping first responders. On Saturday, for every Ziggi’s Coffee drink sold nationwide, $1 went to a Colorado nonprofit supporting first responders’ mental health.

“You feel all alone,” said Adams County Fire Lt. Joe Nichol. “You’re just like, ‘what is wrong with me?'”

For first responders, asking for help can be hard.

“What are the guys gonna think of me if I tell them this?” Nichol asked.

“We’re used to being the helpers, we’re used to being the fixers and it’s difficult at times to be that one that needs help,” said retired Adams County firefighter and paramedic, Jordan Long.

That’s why Long created Revital back in 2020, a group that provides first responders with an outlet to decompress and talk about mental health through outdoor outings.

“We do about 12 outings per month, whether it’s fly fishing, horseback riding, rock climbing, snowshoeing. And get them connected with other first responders,” Long said.

Revital also connects the responders with professional support, whether it’s clinical, financial or spiritual. In three years, 1,500 first responders have taken part.

Donations like the Ziggi’s fundraiser, make the work possible. This is the second year Ziggi’s Coffee is helping Revital out. Last year, the fundraiser raised $20,000. This year, Long hopes to surpass $25,000.

“I was really struggling mentally,” Nichol recalled. “So, my wife one day was like ‘you have got to get help,’ and I’m not the kind of guy to go sit down and talk. So, I said ‘let’s try Revital.'”

The outings turned out to be therapy the 28-year fire service veteran Nichol never knew he needed.

“You just leave everything behind, I think a lot of it is you’re with people who have been through the same stuff as you and for whatever reason it’s very comforting,” Nichol expressed.

Revital is also a crucial resource for newer first responders. Building safe spaces for the people, who keep us safe.

“Instead of stuffing your trauma or feelings down, he’s given us a way to be able to talk about it freely and not feel guilty, not feel weak or anything like that,” said Tasha Rasmussen, a firefighter and EMT, who has been with Adams County Fire for three years.

Any first responder who is interested in attending an outing can find more information at bit.ly/3OsWduQ or by downloading the app.

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