Battalion 1 - September 2015 - Fairfax County Professional Firefighters & Paramedics

Jason Peterson - Attended E-board meeting, began connecting with members interested in assuming shop steward role, developed an initial email list for interested members who wish to stay connected with an executive summary of meetings, made phone calls to first battalion stations, and addressed a member payroll conflict at station 39 with information coordinated from our Local's lawyer and help from the principal officers. Began consultant/research role with project on analyzing membership general health and wellness with an emphasis on mental health balance and support from department structure. Coordinated with Vice President Flanigan to continue connection to multi-jurisdictional mental health project that connects county resources to higher training resources, a project I initiated last June to coordinate more comprehensive training on mental health awareness with the Sheriff's Office, Police department, and Fire Department. This plan is coming to fruition with representation from Local 2068 and has the potential to significantly improve the County's ability to address mental health. The program I introduced has a pilot program kicking off in January, mental health first aid training for first responders being developed, and the Local has a continued seat at the table with all the stakeholders involved; this program was recently recognized in the Washington Post. Intentionally took callback shifts in first battalion to work with my battalion membership.