Saving Ourselves – A First Responder Mental Health Movement
Saving Ourselves is a raw, unfiltered mental health movement created for first responders by a first responder. It was built on one hard truth—if we don’t take care of our own, no one else will.
Led by Brad Lawson, a 26-year EMS veteran and former combat medic, this movement breaks down the walls of silence, shame, and stigma that surround mental health in public safety. Brad shares his own story—uncensored and without apology—because someone in the room always needs to hear the real version. No scripts. No sugarcoating. Just the truth from someone who’s lived it.
This isn’t about checking a box or offering clichés. It's about peer connection, resilience through honesty, and learning how to keep going when the weight feels too heavy.
Saving Ourselves is the conversation most of us never had—but absolutely need.
“Being alone can be deadly.
I wasn’t working to pay my bills.
I was working to stay alive.”
— Brad Lawson, Founder of Saving Ourselves
1 in 3 First Responders Will Develop PTSD
Roughly 30% of first responders will experience PTSD in their careers—compared to about 7% of the general population. These aren’t just numbers—they’re our partners, our friends, and ourselves. Long-term trauma exposure adds up, even when you think you're fine.
More First Responders Die by Suicide Than in the Line of Duty
It’s a brutal truth we don’t talk about enough: suicide now takes more first responder lives than the dangers we train for. The calls may end, but the weight they leave behind doesn’t. Without real conversations and real support, too many of our own are suffering in silence—and not making it out. That has to change.
Up to 69% Report Poor Sleep, Leading to Depression & Burnout
Shift work, long hours, and constant high-alert living wreck sleep—and first responders are paying the price. Nearly 7 in 10 report poor sleep, which directly fuels anxiety, depression, and burnout. Sleep isn’t a luxury in this job—it’s survival. Without it, everything else starts to fall apart.
About Brad and Saving Ourselves
Biography
Brad Lawson is a 26-year veteran of emergency services, spending most of his career as a paramedic and formerly serving as a U.S. Army combat medical specialist. Over the years, he’s worked side by side with firefighters, law enforcement officers, 911 telecommunicators, ER nurses, trauma physicians, and countless others who serve on the front lines of crisis. He knows the job—and he knows what it takes from you.
Brad lives with post-traumatic stress. Not from one single incident, but from years of holding it together through everything this profession throws at you. He isn’t a therapist. He’s not a mental health professional. He’s just a guy who’s been broken and decided he wasn’t going to stay that way—and now he’s doing what he can to help others feel less alone in the fight.
Throughout his career, Brad has served on Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) teams, is trained in Crisis Intervention, and has spent years watching good people struggle in silence. He understands that the impact of trauma doesn’t always come from one national headline or mass casualty event. Most of the time, it’s the everyday tragedies—the stillbirths, the overdoses, the family you couldn’t save, the second-guessing that lingers after the call—that quietly erode our mental wellness.
Saving Ourselves came from Brad’s personal journey and his refusal to let stigma and silence keep hurting the people who dedicate their lives to helping others. Whether you wear a badge, scrubs, a uniform, or a headset, Brad’s message is the same: you matter, you’re not weak for feeling the weight, and you don’t have to face it alone.
Saving Ourselves is a no-BS mental health movement created for those who serve on the front lines—EMS, fire, law enforcement, dispatchers, ER nurses, physicians, and anyone else who shows up in crisis when the rest of the world is falling apart.
This isn’t a textbook solution. It’s real talk, peer-driven connection, and brutally honest storytelling designed to break the stigma and open the door to healing. It doesn’t take a national disaster to destroy your peace of mind. Every shift, we’re hit with trauma—one call at a time—and most of us just shove it down and move on. Until we can’t.
Saving Ourselves gives those in high-stress, high-stakes roles a chance to pause, process, and realize they’re not alone. Brad shares his unfiltered story—not to give answers, but to start conversations that matter.
This movement isn’t about weakness. It’s about survival. About standing in the gap for each other when the job starts to take more than it gives.
Whether you’re behind the mic, behind the wheel, or behind the trauma bay doors—if you’ve felt the weight, this movement was built for you. Because if we’re going to keep showing up for others, we’ve got to start Saving Ourselves.
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Fayetteville NC 28306
(910) 785-1665