911 Peer Support Programs

911 peer support group
2019 911 Peer Support Group

911 Peer Support Group Overview

MARC’s roving 911 Peer Support Team provides emotional support to dispatchers, call takers and command level personnel during and after times of personal or professional crisis. Members from the 52-member team respond to critical incident stress debriefings at public safety answering points (PSAPs) dealing with traumatic events such as deaths, suicides, and officer-involved shootings. They also handle individual peer-to-peer contacts either in-person or by telephone.     

Peer support members receive more than 40 hours of intense training with experts on how to help dispatchers and commanders cope with stressful situations. The goal of the peer-based assistance program is to promote mental well-being through immediate, confidential support, stress reduction training and resiliency tools to prevent burn out and fatigue.  

Need help?

Support is available

Call the Peer Support Line at 816-701-8212.

FAQ

What is Peer Support?

Peer Support is a confidential peer-based assistance program for first responders. 

What can Peer Support do for me?

Provide emotional support during and after times of personal or professional crisis. Provide guidance or referrals to professionals or alternate resources as required. 

Who can use Peer Support?

Any employee of a department within the MARC Region. Any request for peer support outside of MARC’s region will require pre-approval.

Will what I share with Peer Support be shared with anyone else?

Confidentiality and trust are fundamental components of this program. Everything you say is confidential and will not be divulged with anyone, with the following exceptions: admission of criminal activity, danger to self or others, or if you request it.

Who is on the Peer Support Team?

Find a current roster of team members on your console’s 911 intranet.

Commander Peer Support group
2020 Commander Peer Support Group

Commander Level Peer Support Program

MARC's Command Level Peer Support members respond to critical incidents and offer help to command-level leaders. The team now includes 66 cross-disciplined commanders from fire, EMS, law enforcement and dispatch departments.

Resources

Peer Support program participant with a horse

Audio and Video Resources

Explore video and podcast episodes featuring Peer Support program participants and leaders. 

Peer support group members

In the News

Read national news articles featuring 911 Peer Support programs.