A bill to help a mental health organization improve first responders’ mental health across the state with outdoor activities advanced in a House committee.
The bill, HF 491, would give $500,000 across two years to Hometown Hero Outdoors to connect with police officers, firefighters, emergency medical services personnel and their families to promote positive mental health. A similar bill, HF 492, would give Hometown Hero Outdoors another $500,000 across two years to support military personnel and veterans.
This bill was introduced in the last legislative session, but did not gain traction, Hometown Hero Outdoors President Chris Tetrault said. If the bill becomes law, half the money will go toward outdoor services, 30% to additional mental health resources, 10% to outreach and the other 10% to administrative costs, he added.
Some outdoor services the organization provides include hunting, fishing, kayaking, canoeing and dog sledding rides up north, Tetrault said.
Research shows that outdoor recreational therapy improves mental health, Tetrault said.
“(Our first responders) are experiencing things on a dramatic roller-coaster day in, day out,” Tetrault said. “Here, it can be you’re going to do a traffic stop to a domestic (abuse) to maybe a suicide and then you got to go help grandma somewhere.”
The legislation will enhance the organization’s internal training on responding to someone who calls the organization in a mental health crisis and seek mental health professionals in Minnesota to partner with Hometown Hero Outdoors, Tetrault said.
This bill passed out of the House Public Safety and Finance Policy Committee on the one-year anniversary of the deaths of three Burnsville first responders killed in the line of duty on Feb. 18, 2024.
Rep. Jeff Witte (R-Lakeville), who co-authored the bill, said the organization’s recreational activities help promote longevity, quality of life and public education.
“Being a former law enforcement (officer), I know most first responders see about 850 critical incidents in their lifetime while they’re working,” Witte said. “The mental health piece is important to help those that help us when we’re in our, probably in one of our worst moments.”
The outdoor activities conducted are for more than recreation, Witte said.
“Forty-five percent of firefighters have contemplated suicide, and one in three first responders develop PTSD. So obviously, there’s a stigma that prevents many of the first responders from seeking medical mental health support,” Witte said. “This is an alternative with peer support and confidentiality that it’s a path to healing, which I think is very effective and you’re out there with people that have been serving with you.”
Rep. Josiah Hill (DFL-Stillwater), chief author of the bill, said supporting first responders will build community and help those in times of need.
“It’s being active outdoors in community that leads to that very powerful connection,” Hill said. “And that connection helps to lead towards that healing that we so desire for our heroes.”
