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  Ohio Office of First Responder Wellness

Steven M. Click, Director

Ohio First Responders stand ready to protect, defend and provide life-saving services to the citizens of the State of Ohio, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Often, this can put them at risk, both physically and mentally. The Ohio Department of Public Safety / Office of Criminal Justice Services support all of Ohio’s 92,000+ Law Enforcement, Fire, EMS, Corrections and Dispatch personnel. Steven M. Click serves as the Director of the Ohio Office of First Responder Wellness. 

Steve retired after 36 years with the Ohio State Highway Patrol. During the last 2 ½ years of service with the Patrol, he served as the Commander of the Ohio ASSIST program which provides pre-critical incident training and post-critical incident aftercare for first responders and their support persons. Steve has been active in peer support since 1993 and was twice deployed to New York City after the 9/11 attacks to work with the NYPD peer support team. In 2002, he helped create the first peer support program for the Ohio State Highway Patrol and oversaw the program until his retirement in 2018. Steve is trained in CISM and is ICISF trained for group and individual response.

After his retirement, Steve served as the First Responder Liaison for Ohio Mental Health & Addiction Services. 

Steve serves as a resource to first responders, their agencies, community providers and local ADAMH / MHRB Boards. 

Training Programs

Crisis Awareness 

Provides first responder participants examples of physical and emotional signs that a co-worker, family member, friend or the employee themselves may be in crisis after a traumatic event.  This course gives some possible signs and symptoms as well as techniques to help someone who may benefit from assistance. Issues discussed include; physical, cognitive and emotional responses to trauma, alcohol / drug issues, relationships, techniques and strategies for working through the effects of a traumatic incident. 

“After the Call”  

“After the Call” was created to provide commanders & administrators with ideas, concepts and techniques they might use to help themselves during a critical or traumatic incident. It’s important for officers to know that, just like the rest of their agency, they are having a normal reaction to an abnormal circumstance. It’s not only ok to ask for assistance, it will help ensure that they are able to provide the guidance and oversight to help their agency and personnel work through the aftermath to be stronger.

Self-Care 

First responders focus on taking care of others, often at the expense of their own self-care. This course re-enforces the concepts of self-care and the importance for first responders in order to be able to better serve their agencies & communities. 

QPR; Question. Persuade. Refer. First Responder Suicide Awareness and Prevention

There are very few incidents more devastating to an agency than the suicide of a member of that agency, sworn or civilian. In addition to many of the same effects as a line of duty or accidental death, the added issues of guilt, anger, helplessness only add to the traumatic effects felt by the surviving members of the agency. As a culture, first responders take on the unrealistic burden of being responsible for the actions of others or the first responders’ failure to anticipate those actions and provide answers and solutions.

The QPR awareness course provides tools and techniques to help first responders themselves, their co-workers or the public. QPR is applicable to first responders and civilians.

Retirement; Being a member of the Survivors’ Club

Retirement can be a difficult transition for anyone. For First Responders, that transition can be even more so. This course talks to some of the changes a first responders can expect, how to plan for these changes and minimize possible negative effects of becoming a civilian.

Ohio Office of First Responder Wellness – Resource Overview

Connecting the First Responder Community with mental health resources and programs is the foundation of the Ohio Office of First Responder Wellness. Many agencies are not familiar with what resources are available for their personnel. This overview provides information about the various programs in the State of Ohio.  

Steven M. Click, Director

Ohio Office of First Responder Wellness

Ohio Department of Public Safety

Office of Criminal Justice Services

1970 West Broad Street

Columbus, Ohio 43223

614-466-4470 Desk

614-949-2428 Cell

stclick@dps.ohio.gov