By Scott Bertram for The Illinois Radio Network

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (IRN) — Efforts are underway to help reduce the rates of suicide among first responders in Illinois.

A new First Responders Suicide Task Force, created this year by the passage of House Bill 2766, will try to address the emotional health needs of emergency response personnel in Illinois. State Rep. John Cabello, R-Machesney Park, is among those appointed to
serve on the committee.

“We’ve got to find a way of making sure that our police, fire, nurses, first responders have access to care and different types of counseling after all of what they see,” Cabello said. “Some of the men and women never really would need it and some do. So we’ve got to be prepared and try to help those that do need it.”

Cabello serves as a detective for a police department in the Rockford area. He said the problem is understandable.

“I can remember some horrific calls that I’ve been on that the fire department was on as well,” Cabello said. “And immediately after the call some of the firemen requested to speak to a chaplain.”

In 2017, a bill sponsored by Cabello required police officers receive training in effective recognition of and response to stress, trauma, and post-traumatic stress experienced by officers. The law was named after Officer Greg Lindmark, a retired Rockford Deputy Chief who took his own life in 2015.

“Hopefully we’re going to find out ways or come up with ways on funding different types of programs, educational aspects for training purposes,” Cabello said. “Those are the types of things that I’m looking forward to having the discussion on.”

The task force has 18 members, including four members each from the House and Senate, along with others appointed by various bodies around the state. Cabello said he doesn’t think the size of the task force will be a hurdle to reaching a consensus.

“I believe it’s going to be manageable,” Cabello said. “These task forces, lots of times, do have several different people on. I was on the criminal justice task force and that task force was immense. But we still got some good legislation out of it.”

The task force is responsible for issuing afinal report with specific recommendations before the end of 2020.

“I don’t have the answers to everything and I don’t believe any one person does,” Cabello said. “So getting different types of people involved, I think is a good thing. It’s an issue that I think is very, very important and I look forward to discussions and hopefully some
solutions that we’ll come up with.”