Two-minute impact
The department’s THRIVE program, established in 2022, allows first responders and their families to access 12 counseling sessions per year, CFFD Wellness Officer James Moyer said.
The board’s Dec. 18 decision will allow CFFD to double the number of counseling sessions offered for responders who require additional clinical support. Board President Naressa MacKinnon, a longtime proponent of the program, said most participants are connected to care within one to three days.
“Our firefighters and first responders see things most people will never see in a lifetime,” MacKinnon said. “Trauma, loss, tragedy—sometimes multiple times in a shift.”
Why it matters
According to previous Community Impact reporting, first responders deal with anxiety, depression and suicide at higher rates. A 2018 study from the Ruderman Family Foundation found first responders are more likely to die by suicide than in the line of duty.
More than 900 first responders died by suicide in the U.S. between 2020-24, 73 of whom were Texans, Community Impact previously reported.
“I didn’t know how to deal with the pain,” a CFFD firefighter told the board Dec. 18. “I’m a lot stronger today due to THRIVE and the counseling that I got. I feel like I’m in a safer place with my life.”
By the numbers
MacKinnon said THRIVE participation increased by more than 66% in the past year. She said the department spent approximately $297,000 on the benefits in 2025, up from about $150,000 in 2023.
Officials said 154 CFFD members have reached out for THRIVE support. Additionally, 41 dependents and 38 families or couples have used the counseling services.
“It’s one of the most notable aspects of this profession that doesn’t get much attention,” Commissioner Cameron Dickey said. “They will run in to help us in moments of crisis and danger, oftentimes experiencing and seeing things that any one of us would find challenging on a single instance, much less a repetitive basis.”
