If you are interested in participating, contact the coordinator for your region using the phone number or email listed below and let us know you're interested in Project FiRST. A Project FiRST coordinator will ask for your department or agency's leadership contact information. If you are a department leader, we will work directly with you. Our coordinators will then connect with your leadership team to share information about the study and distribute recruitment materials to interested first responders. Once enough members of your department or agency have expressed interest, a Project FiRST coordinator will work with your team to schedule a workshop. If you're interested in joining the study or have further questions, we're happy to help. Reach out to the research coordinator for your region and they'll send you a brief pre-screener form:For New York Participants:projectfirst@stonybrookmedicine.edu(631) 364-2569For Texas Participants:projectfirst@tamu.edu(979) 458-9149

Project FiRST involves two main parts:First, there's a 4-hour workshop, followed by a 1-hour booster session about three months later. Second, you'll complete six brief assessments over the course of a year — a baseline before you begin, and follow-ups at 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. We've designed the schedule to be as manageable as possible around the demands of the job.

Project FiRST includes two workshops — CARE and WRT. Because the study evaluates both approaches, workshops are assigned via randomization at the agency level rather than chosen individually. You can learn more on the "What to Expect" page.

Only the research team has access to your individual response, and your data is stored securely. Your employer, supervisors, and agency never have access to your individual answers.As part of this study, we're required to share health information we collect with a national research data repository run by the National Institute of Mental Health, where it may be used in future research alongside data from other participants. Before anything is shared, we remove details that could identify you — like your name — and replace them with a code. The master list linking that code to your identity is kept secure by the research institutions, and only certain authorized staff can ever access it. Project FiRST also holds a Certificate of Confidentiality from the National Institutes of Health, which adds further protection against being compelled to release identifying information about you. You can read the full details of how your information is handled in the study's consent form.

You'll be paid for each assessment you complete, for a total of up to $225 over the course of the study:$75 for the baseline assessment$25 for each of the 1, 3, 6, and 9-month follow-ups$50 for the 12-month assessmentAdditionally, you will receive a FitBit, Project FiRST challenge coin, and a certificate of completion.

If you're interested in learning more or have further questions, we're happy to help. Reach out to the Project FiRST coordinator for your region:For New York Participants:projectfirst@stonybrookmedicine.edu(631) 364-2569For Texas Participants:projectfirst@tamu.edu(979) 458-9149

Participation in Project FiRST happens at the organizational level. We typically work directly with agency leadership to schedule the workshops at a time that works for those interested in participating. The best thing you can do is pass along our contact information and we’ll work to connect with the appropriate person on their leadership team. For New York Participants:projectfirst@stonybrookmedicine.eduFor Texas Participants:projectfirst@tamu.edu(979) 458-9149