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| | HJ0056 | | LRB100 12542 MST 25626 r |
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| 1 | | HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
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| 2 | | WHEREAS, Firefighter support groups like the Illinois |
| 3 | | Firefighter Peer Support (ILFFPS) team have
championed the |
| 4 | | cause of emotional wellness in the fire service; and
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| 5 | | WHEREAS, The ILFFPS and its 200 members in Illinois |
| 6 | | continue to
provide peer support to firefighters in need; and
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| 7 | | WHEREAS, The ILFFPS has shared its vision of emotional |
| 8 | | wellness in
the fire service with Minnesota, Kentucky, |
| 9 | | Connecticut, North Carolina, Florida, and Alaska, and
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| 10 | | continues to reach out to firefighters in need in Illinois and |
| 11 | | beyond; and
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| 12 | | WHEREAS, The Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance (FBHA) |
| 13 | | is the only known organization in
the United States that tracks |
| 14 | | and validates suicides among firefighters and emergency |
| 15 | | medical service responders; and
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| 16 | | WHEREAS, Behavioral health and suicides are becoming |
| 17 | | recognized as major health issues for first
responders; and
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| 18 | | WHEREAS, More firefighters died by suicide in 2015 and 2016 |
| 19 | | than in the line of duty; and
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| | HJ0056 | - 2 - | LRB100 12542 MST 25626 r |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, State government officials need to recognize |
| 2 | | behavioral health issues and support fire
and EMS organizations |
| 3 | | with funding and policies
to reduce these tragic events; and
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| 4 | | WHEREAS, On May 19, 2017, at 9:00 pm, in
recognition of |
| 5 | | Mental Health Awareness Month, the FBHA is asking fire and EMS |
| 6 | | organizations to place
a rig(s) on their driveway and turn on |
| 7 | | their emergency lights for one minute to express support
for |
| 8 | | all the families that have suffered a loss; and
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| 9 | | WHEREAS, Community members are welcome to join their local |
| 10 | | participating location or stand
in their own driveway and light |
| 11 | | a candle to remember a loved one; therefore, be it
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| 12 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE |
| 13 | | HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE |
| 14 | | CONCURRING HEREIN, that we recognize May 19, 2017 as a day to |
| 15 | | honor police officers and firefighters who have lost their |
| 16 | | lives and suffer from PTSD, depression, and other mental health |
| 17 | | issues; and be it further
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| 18 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be |
| 19 | | presented to the Illinois Firefighter Peer Support team as a |
| 20 | | symbol of our respect and esteem.
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