David joins us on the podcast and shares his story of what led him into the fire service, the love he found for the job once he was there, the challenges he faced through transition into retirement, and the importance of finding purpose post service.

David talks about the importance of early introduction to mental health and wellness concepts for first responders, the importance of consistently revisiting these topics throughout a first responders career, why mental health interventions must be accusable, explains the significance of having a plan for retirement, the magnitude that purpose has in many first responders lives, and why new purpose is a significant component of a healthy and fulfilling retirement.

Erin Lynch is a Suicide Loss Survivor. She lost her father Eddie Lynch, a 35 year Boston Firefighter to Suicide in 2014. Erin shares what it was like being raised by a firefighter, she discusses the dynamics of her family, speaks openly about the day that her father passed, the days, weeks, months, and years that followed.

She talks about the initial shock and turmoil, she describes the weight of her grief and how she was impacted by it, and explains how she was able to heal, move forward from that loss, and how she now uses the experience to help others.

Tracy Ryan joined First Responder Therapy Dogs in August 2021 with her dog Sparkie in an effort to spread therapy dog love to First Responders on the East Coast. She resides in East Bridgewater, MA, where she is a High School Guidance Counselor, mom to 2 boys, and wife of a firefighter. Blaze most recently joined the ranks as her 2nd FRTD certified dog in 2025. Being able to share her dogs with first responders, has been an absolute perfect fit for her and her family!

In this episode Tracy shares what its like to be married to a firefighter as someone with a background in mental health, she talks about how their family manages difficult calls that are carried from an emergency scene into their home, how her journey into this work began, where her passion comes from, the effectiveness of this approach and the growth of First Responder Therapy Dogs in recent years.