Spokane Valley Fire Launches New Cordico App for Firefighters Health and Wellness
For Immediate Release:
April 28, 2020
Contact: Julie Happy, Community Affairs Manager, Spokane Valley Fire, 509.892.4155
Spokane Valley Fire Department (SVFD) Fire Chief, Bryan Collins, announced today at a media briefing, plans to provide the Spokane Valley Fire Department with a Firefighter wellness App to support their mental health and well-being. The wellness tool will be an App installed on phones to help Spokane Valley Firefighters with their personal health and wellness needs. Many Firefighters experience PTSD after years of service in traumatic situations.
“Our firefighters face tremendous mental and physical stressors, pressures, and demands throughout the course of their careers,” said Spokane Valley Fire Department Fire Chief, Bryan Collins. “We need to make sure that they are healthy and well, and always present for our communities when called to serve.”
The Cordico App is a tool that allows Firefighters a place to leave their work at work, go home and be present there, and most importantly have a chance at that work-life balance.
“Sometimes Firefighters can’t unsee or unhear some of those 911 calls they go on. Some of them are heart wrenching. Some of them are painful. All of them become memories that as a Firefighter, we have to manage and set aside to meet each new day’s emergency call,” said Firefighter and Local 876 President, Shawn Pichette. “This Wellness App provides First Responders confidential access to therapists, peer support, help with emotional stress, stress management, PTSD and other needs.”
The Wellness App provides access to therapists, peer support, and the leading Firefighter wellness solution available nationwide offering confidential, in-hand, on-demand 24/7 access to 30+ modules on topics such as alcohol, depression, emotional health, family support, financial fitness, mindfulness, psychological first aid, sleep optimization, and stress management.
“First responders tend to build walls in order to separate themselves from the harsh reality of their job,” said SVFD Fire Commissioner, Mike Kester. “In doing so, some take it home and keep up those walls with their loved ones. There’s no way to decompress as it were.”
Dr. David Black, CEO of Cordico emphasized, “No one should ever feel blocked from accessing help at times of need due to their schedule or location or concerns about confidentiality, and that is especially true for our public safety personnel who dedicate their professional lives to responding to others’ emergencies.”
About Cordico
Cordico proudly serves hundreds of public service agencies as the trusted provider of psychological services and innovative wellness programs. Cordico’s mobile wellness apps are aimed at strengthening workforce retention, resilience and well-being. The CordicoFire Wellness Solution provides 24/7/365 confidential support for Firefighters. CordicoFire places the most comprehensive and trusted wellness resources directly into the hands of Firefighters so that high-quality, customized wellness support is available on-demand, at the push of a button.
Learn more at https://www.cordico.com/fire/.
Cordico Media contact:
Kevin Dacy
Phone: 844-CORDICO (1-844-267-3426)
About Spokane Valley Fire Department
Spokane Valley Fire Department (SVFD) serves a population of 125,000, including the cities of Spokane Valley, Liberty Lake and Millwood, as well as surrounding unincorporated areas within the 75-square miles of Spokane County Fire District 1. In 2019, SVFD firefighter crews, including its paramedics and EMTs, responded to more than 18,326 emergency calls.
Established eighty years ago in 1940, SVFD is committed to pursuing excellence and is distinguished as an Accredited Agency by the Commission on Fire Accreditation International and by the fire district’s ISO Class 2 rating from the Washington Survey and Rating Bureau.
Connect with SVFD at: spokanevalleyfire.com. For department news, safety information, and timely updates, find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
###