CHRIS SUITT

OWNER  INSTRUCTOR  TRAINER

When humans do their worst to other humans, first responders run into harm’s way while the general public runs away. An example was September 11, 2001, when a coordinated terrorist attack took place on US soil.

911 dispatchers, fire, law enforcement, coroners/medical examiners, EMT, ambulance drivers, emergency room and forensic personnel swung into action. Afterwards, the military followed suit as depicted in the painting, “I’ll Take It From Here.” Therefore, I will use “first responder” for all professionals who see what they see when they run toward “human created chaos, carnage and confusion.”

So, what qualifies me to create, let alone teach, a course for first responders? The answer is quite simple – twenty years of experiencing the FREEdom First Aid Process℠ work with both the public and first responders.

I am not a law enforcement officer, but one who has worked with them since 2002 as a chaplain with a large Southern California Sheriff’s department. My sole purpose is to help my officers stay Code 4+ better than good in their body, brain and soul.

In order to do this, I graduated from a Level III Modular Peace Officer Academy, completed two California POST use of force courses, participated in three active shooter trainings and weekly ride-along with my officers at a busy station. In one year alone, this station had over 10,000 critical incident calls for service, depending on the officer’s prior experience. I did this to better understand how they were trained and what it took to become and stay a law enforcement officer.

In addition to this, as I listened to both new and seasoned officers, I discovered that they were given the skills to do the job successfully, but were not given the skills to deal with the job successfully. The later brought consequences that I deal with as a chaplain.

How could I help them be and stay Code 4+? I took the research skills gained from earning a Master of Divinity Degree in Practical Theology and combined the above experiences with a heart that simply wanted to save first responder’s lives, families, and careers. I translated complex concepts into a simple to understand and practical to use Resilient Operational Training: Confronting the Quiet Dangers of What You Can’t Forget non-religious science-based course with its FREEdom First Aid Process℠ debrief checklist card.

This checklist can be used in real time by the first responder on themselves or with others at the scene, before the next call, at the station/base or at home.

They can easily process and download their job-related experiences, from the “It’s no big deal” or “I'm fine” situations to the horrific in order to rewire their brain towards health.

After taking this course, the first responder will have the skills to be able to successfully deal with and confront the quiet dangers caused from what they wish they could forget while successfully doing the job.

Injuries are unavoidable. It’s what they signed up for. But healing from them shouldn’t be. Immediate action has been proven to reduce long-term damage. They already do this for their body, why not for their brain, their most important first responder tool? Let’s answer that together.