Rogers Research Center expands firefighter survey, aiming to better support first responders’ mental health
It’s a heavy job, and the calls can pile on.
“I think all of us know that the firefighters and law enforcement in our community are there when we need them the most,” said Kelly Piacsek, PhD, vice president of research at Rogers Behavioral Health. “I think sometimes we underestimate the secondary trauma that our first responders are carrying with them, and that affects their family relationships, it affects their sleep quality, it affects their health.”
To better understand those challenges, Rogers Research Center partners with the Professional Firefighters of Wisconsin Charitable Foundation on an ongoing effort to survey firefighters throughout the state. Watch the video below and read on to learn more.
Since 2020, Rogers has collected data to better understand the factors that might influence first responders’ mental health and wellbeing. Beyond shedding light on the challenges firefighters face, the research can help identify opportunities for support and encourage conversations about mental health.
“It’s a priority for us and our communities to understand how we can help them better and help remove some of the barriers to having those important conversations,” Dr. Piacsek said, “even if it’s just sharing what they’ve experienced so that it’s not bottled up and taken on to the next call.”
That matters, Dr. Piacsek says, because stigma remains a significant challenge.
“There’s a stigma in the population that is they need to be strong for others and really can’t express some of the challenges that they’re dealing with,” she said. “The ability to provide measurable data is much better at convincing those individuals of the need for some of the support than asking people how they’re feeling. When we can measure it, and we can record it, and we can show how it changes over time, it helps really reinforce that this is something that we should be paying attention to.”
Now in 2026, the survey efforts are expanding. In addition to continuing to survey firefighters, Rogers is extending the research to include law enforcement officers, as well as following a subset of firefighters over time to better understand the factors that contribute to mental health concerns.
“This will be the largest study of its kind, looking at professional quality of life, anxiety, depression, sleep, and personal habits, and will really help us understand how to help those who are the heroes in our communities,” Dr. Piacsek said. “It’s been rewarding to be on this learning journey with them,” she said.
As the research grows, so does the opportunity to bring difficult conversations out of the darkness, helping communities better understand the challenges first responders face and how best to support them.
