Presented by 1st Responder Conferences in Partnership with First H.E.L.P.

Co-hosted by The San Luis Obispo County Critical Incident Stress Management Team

Embassy Suites by Hilton San Luis Obispo 333 Madonna Road San Luis Obispo, California 93405

This training is for all 1st responders, police, fire, military/veterans, corrections, dispatchers, chaplains, retired 1st responders, spouses, professional staff, clinicians, spouses and all who work in the public safety field.

1st Responder Conferences presents a multi-faceted two-day seminar and networking event for improving the mental health and wellness of our first responders. By discussing the real 21st Century issues that are consistently facing our first responders and their families, our conference will provide awareness, resources and action items to combat PTSD/PTSI, depression, suicide, addiction, stress, and overall mental health.

1st Responder Conferences proudly introduces a line-up of credible nationally recognized speakers who will address matters that impact the personal and professional lives of first responders and their family members through dynamic and engaging presentations for the entire first responder community. This two-day seminar is unique in that your spouses or significant others who support you are invited to come learn with you.

With a progressive and forward message of optimism and sustainability, 1st Responder Conferences goal is pushing past traditional silence and bringing first responder wellness to our Everyday Heroes.

Register now, seating is limited.

Speakers and Topics

"Building Financial Strength in First Responder Families"- (Ret. Sgt.) Nicholas Daugherty, Serve & Protect Financial Texas- Building Financial Strength in First Responder families is a Dave Ramsey inspired financial wellness class designed for first responders, by first responders. We will cover the importance of financial wellness for your personal and professional lives. Topics include budgeting, how to avoid debt and pay off debt, the importance of will & estate planning, and how to build a plan to begin to win with money. Taught by instructors that have the heart of teachers to over 7,500 first responders from over 1,500 agencies nationwide. Nick Daugherty began his career with the Grand Prairie Police Department (GPPD) in 2003 before semi-retiring in 2017 as a Sergeant. He continues to serve as reserve officer for GPPD. A graduate, and coordinator of Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University, Nick is also a certified Ramsey Solution Master Financial Coach and owner of Serve & Protect Financial Texas. Nick has coached hundreds of first responder families through almost every type of financial crisis and scenario possible. He also works with several first responder nonprofit organizations, focusing on financial wellness for those suffering from PTSD and suicidal thoughts.

"You Are Never Alone"-A Personal Story of Survival, Courage and Vulnerability-Jared Nesary, Retired Officer, Yakima Police Department-Jared will share his personal struggle with PTSD, and what recovery looks like after residential treatment. His courage to ask for help, which in his words saved his life and career. “You are not alone” is a personal story of survival, courage and vulnerability and a great reminder to all that no matter how dark the darkness gets, there is help. Jared survived PTSD and won his life back. BIO- Jared is a United States Marine Corps Veteran with over 20 years in law enforcement. Jared worked the majority of his patrol assignment on a swing or graveyard shift. Jared spent 9 years on SWAT, handled two Patrol K9’s “Bruno” and “Yogi”, was a Gang Officer, School Resource Officer, is currently serving as the Training Officer for the Yakima Police Department and is the lead Active Shooter/Rescue Task Force Instructor and the Lead De-Escalation Instructor for his department.

"Healing Through Service - A Journey Through Trauma and Addiction"- Michael DeLeo, CAL FIRE/Battalion Chief Employee Support Services - Southern Region Coordinator- Like many experiencing childhood trauma I gravitated toward the first responder profession. After Several years working in Fire and EMS- unhealthy coping methods lead to severe dysfunction and almost cost me my life. Through the intervention of my First Responder family I was introduced to Trauma Treatment and Recovery and the concepts of healing through service. I began to study the ICISF foundation classes and became involved in local Peer Support/CISM/Grass roots volunteerism as well as 12 step service. This work has given my story purpose and I have found that what were once my biggest challenges have become my biggest assets. Just over a year now I have moved from the Fire Engine into our organizations Employee Support Division full time. I now am part of a team providing support Statewide to employees and their families in Crisis. From LODD, Addiction, CISD, Serious Injury or Accident. This Presentation details this journey.

Post-Traumatic Stress- Injury- Demystified. What it is, and what you can do about it.”- Dr, Cherylynn Lee, Santa Barbara Sheriff's Office, First Responder Psychologist- Post Traumatic Stress Injury (PTSI) is a grouping of symptoms that affect the brain and body in response to a traumatic event or an accumulation of stress injuries. Having symptoms of, or being diagnosed with, PTSI can be a challenge for public safety professionals, but doesn't have to be a life sentence. There are structural changes the brain undergoes as a response to trauma that can be addressed and corrected with the right kind of treatment. Learn about some of these physiological changes, their impact on our behavior, and tactics for how to start healing through Dr. Lee's dynamic presentation on PTSI in public safety. Dr. Cherylynn Lee is an experienced, compassionate and culturally competent first responder psychologist. She is a full time embedded psychologist with the Santa Barbara Sheriff's office and oversees their Crisis Intervention program, wellness and Peer Support team, mental health co-response program and is a member of their crisis negotiation team. Dr. Lee is also contracted with Santa Barbara Police Department for training and negotiation services. Dr. Lee has a private practice in the Santa Ynez Valley where she treats first responders exclusively and specializes in Post Traumatic Stress Injury, stress management, substance abuse, mindfulness and job performance improvement. She has responded to several critical incidents and provided critical incident stress management services for dozens of law and fire agencies throughout California. Dr. Lee is also a subject matter expert with CA P.O.S.T on both officer and dispatcher wellness and is a published author with PORAC magazine.

Survive & Thrive: A Path through Trauma into Resilience-Ryan Dedmon, Outreach Director, 911 Training Institute- A former dispatcher will discuss the accumulation of stress from personal loss and professional trauma that he experienced. His personal story of survival and journey to healing will help empower all first responders to seek peer support services and mental health treatment to build their resilience. Ryan Dedmon is a retired police dispatcher from Southern California. He currently serves as the Outreach Director for the 911 Training Institute. Ryan is a California POST-certified Academy Instructor, a CIT International certified CIT Coordinator, and has a Master’s Degree in Forensic Psychology. He teaches various Advanced Officer Training classes at the Regional Criminal Justice Training Center at Golden West College and at the Orange County Sheriff's Regional Training Center. He blends his education and experience behind the console to help first-responders recover and grow from post-traumatic stress.

"Building A Resilient First Responder Family" -Rachelle Zemlok, PsyD- Rachelle Zemlok, PsyD is a licensed child and family psychologist in California and specializes in supporting and educating first responder families. In this session she will cover the everyday impacts the first responder career can have on family members and their relationships with the first responder. She will also discuss everyday practices that can help families and marriages withstand the impacts of the career.

"Effective and Safe Treatments for First Responders for Long Term Health, Stress Management and Quality Sleep"- Dr. Zoe Wells Zawalick Naturopathic Medicine- Dr. Zoe will discuss Stress management with safe formulas that can be used while working, sleep support that can be used during shifts, the dual nature of cortisol, how to manage performance enhancing and stress inducing, and lifestyle factors that help all the above. Dr. Zoe Wells Zawalick is a licensed naturopathic doctor with a thriving natural medicine practice in San Luis Obispo County, California since 1997. She has seen over 10,000 patients and regularly deal with the specific problems of shift work, high stress environments and impacts on the endocrine system. She specializes in women’s health and works with women, teens, men, and seniors for general medicine complaints. As a naturopathic doctor she works to find the cause of disease and imbalance in the body to return the body to its natural state of health and well-being. Dr. Zawalick received her medical degree from National College of Naturopathic Medicine and her B.A. in psychology with high honors from the University of California. She has lectured extensively on health issues including menopause, depression and anxiety, sleep disorders, cancer and osteoporosis as well as teaching herbal medicine and nutrition classes. Dr. Zoe has has written two books: The Secret Life of Hormones published in 2020 and Women's Transformational Journey - 5 Steps to Creating Joy and Balance in Perimenopause. She has produced a line of essential oil blends, Dr. Zoe's Aroma Wellness Blends for coughs, immune support, sleep and anxiety and other conditions as well as a line of herbal medicine tinctures for digestive support, sleep, viruses and other common conditions.

"You Can Rise Again"- Fran Graham, San Luis Obispo Critical Incident Stress Management Team Chaplain- Fran focuses on holistic health including “self-care” and healthy boundaries. She encourages others to establish these vital principles into their lives as part of their daily routine, as well as teaching them about the importance of recognizing signs and symptoms of grief, critical stress and trauma, and what to do about them. Fran's has an extensive background in Law Enforcement, Search and Rescue, Community Emergency Response Training, International Disaster Relief, Fire and Police Chaplaincy, Critical Incident Stress Management, and the medical field, provides a wealth of knowledge and expertise that she uses to support those in crisis and psychological trauma. As an emotional trauma specialist and disaster responder, working with individuals and groups, she has led various types of response teams to major disasters.

"Real-Time Stress Management"- Mike Taigman, Improvement Guide for First Watch- Working in emergency services is inherently stressful. Harnessing the helpful aspects of stress improves your performance and your health. While poorly managed threat stress is the root of cancer, heart disease, most chronic disease, depression, anxiety, and more. In this session, you'll learn neuroscience-based tactics that you can activate instantly to master your stress. Mike is a former paramedic, Mike has authored more than 600 articles in professional journals and worked with emergency services and healthcare organizations in many states as well as internationally. His expertise includes stress management, resilience, EMS street survival, patient-centered leadership, and improvement science. Mike serves as Improvement Guide for FirstWatch and leads ResilientFirst, the neuroscience-based resilience training program. Mike also teaches improvement science as an Assistant Professor in the University of California San Francisco’s MS in Healthcare Administration and Interprofessional Leadership and as an Adjunct Professor in UMBC’s MA in Emergency Health Services Management. He’s the author with his wife Sascha Liebowitz book, Super-Charge Your Stress Management in the Time of COVID-19 https://combatcovidstress.com.

Registration is $300.00 (plus Humanitix platform fees) and includes the following:
A continental breakfast and lunch will be provided on both days. The venue has limited food choices so if you have dietary restrictions or allergies, please be advised. There will be a Networking Social on March 17th from 4:00-6:00 pm @ the venue. This is a great opportunity to get to know others, ask questions and share your ideas and thoughts with other like-minded professionals. Appetizers will be provided and beverages will be available for purchase.

Please note our 30 Day Refund Policy:
There are a lot of costs involved in organizing a conference. The reason we list our 30-day nonrefundable statement on the registration website when an attendee registers, is due to having to purchase everything in advance. We will allow registrations to be transferable, so food and other items don't go to waste. There will be no exceptions to this policy.

Accommodations: Conference specials/discounted hotel rates available: Group block/discounted hotel rates available: We have a group block at The Embassy Suites by Hilton San Luis Obispo. Rooms are $129.00 Wednesday-Friday nights. This rate will be available based on guest room availability at the Resort). Guests may also call the resort directly at: 1 805-549-0800 and request a room under the 1st Responder Conference block or click here. Each individual will be responsible for making his/her own reservation with the hotel by February 14, 2022.

To download a flyer please visit www.1stresponderconferences.org or contact us for flyers, basic info letters, and sponsor/industry partner/vendor forms for your organizations to share.

*You must register to attend. Seats are limited for this conference.

A limited amount of scholarships are available for those with financial hardships. Please contact Amanda at amanda@1stresponderconferences.org for more information.

14 hours of continuing education credit for EMT’s for attending the conference thru San Luis Obispo Emergency Medical Services Agency will be available.

*Disclaimers*

Photograph/Video Disclaimer Statement

1st Responder Conferences (1RC) reserves the right to use any photograph/video taken at any event sponsored by 1RC , without the expressed written permission of those included within the photograph/video. 1RC may use the photograph/video in publications or other media material produced, used or contracted by 1RC including but not limited to: brochures, invitations, books, newspapers, magazines, television, websites, etc. No video recording by attendees permitted.

Waiver of Liability

Some of the material presented at this event may cause emotional triggers. We will have onsite assistance if needed. There will also be additional resources available if needed. This conference is not intended to provide counseling services, whether medical, psychological or of any other kind, nor to diagnose, prevent, cure or treat any disease, disorder or injury. This conference is certainly not intended to replace the advice of a physician. If you need expert advice, please consult a competent professional. This conference is only intended for “educational” use and it should only be used as a guide.

COVID-19 SAFETY INFORMATION:

While participating in events held by 1st Responder Conferences (1st RC) “social distancing” should be practiced and face coverings worn for those who are unvaccinated to reduce the risks of exposure to COVID-19. Because COVID-19 is extremely contagious and is spread mainly from person-to-person contact, 1st RC has put in place preventative measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19. 1st RC cannot guarantee that its participants, volunteers, partners, or others in attendance will not become infected with COVID-19.

At registration we will have a waiver of liability and a photo release form that must be signed. If you have any questions regarding the waiver please contact us, so we can be of assistance.

Please note, sometimes we have last minute speaker changes due to unforeseen reasons.

Contact the host of First Responder Mental Health and Wellness, San Luis Obispo, CA