FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
First responders show cognitive improvements following resiliency training
COTATI, CA — A PTSD-related resiliency training program for first responders has recently begun
evaluating cognitive benefits using portable brain scanning technology.
Clear cognitive improvements were identified before and after resiliency training in the brain
vital signs of first responders – paramedics, fire fighters, police, and health care professionals.
Retired paramedic, Susan Farren, leads a Bay Area first responder training program, First
Responders Resiliency, Inc.® (FRRI). Farren partnered with Dr. D’Arcy, a neuroscientist working
with Legion Veterans Village in Surrey, BC, to measure objective cognitive brain responses to
evaluate brain-based benefits of resiliency training.
This resiliency training is an innovative proactive 3-day behavioral wellness program, run by
career first responders like former paramedic Susan Farren, retired fire engineer, Ron Shull, and
retired California Highway Patrol commander, Cathy Wayne, who have been working to fulfill their
trademark of “Putting PTSD Out of Business®.”
The brain vital sign scans, obtained by a portable NeuroCatch device, monitored improvements in
sensory, attention, and cognitive processing before and after resiliency training. The goal was to
assess the feasibility of the intervention for a potential large-scale clinical trial on
PTSD-related resiliency training for active first responders.
First Responders Resiliency, Inc.® is a “for first responders by first responders”, cutting-edge
behavioral wellness program based out of Cotati, CA, with a nationwide reach which provides
critical support for all first responders and their families. It has trailblazed a proactive
approach to evidence-based wellness paired with holistic modality work, training more than 10,000
first responders and their families since 2018.
FRRI has been working in conjunction with medical and clinical research leaders, along with
innovators at Loma Linda University and UCLA to collect data that have thus far revealed methods in
which symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress can be mitigated, and in some cases,
prevented with proper training and resources.
Susan Farren, Executive Director and Founder of FRRI, comments, “With intent, we wanted to
trademark ‘Putting PTSD Out of Business®’, as all of us who have worked on the frontlines rely
daily on resilience to the stress and trauma we experience. Why leave resiliency to chance?
FRRI is designed to be on the forefront of training and education through 8-hour, 16-hour, and
3-day conferences held across the nation for first responders and their families, including
federal law enforcement, state fire programs, emergency personnel, communications
dispatchers, worker’s compensation and insurance companies. Seeing that our program
improvements can be tracked by observing brain waves related to cognitive function provides
an objective sign that we’re on the path to ‘Putting PTSD Out of Business®’.
Through our amazing network of health and university partners, our next step is to continue
increasing access to the programs and launch a large-scale clinical trial to demonstrate that
evidence-based interventions really can have positive impacts, right down to taking control of
our brain activity.”
Dr. D’Arcy, President and Chief Scientific Officer of HealthTech Connex, the company which
developed the NeuroCatch Platform, was “inspired to see the cognitive improvements.” He
noted, “All too often, treatment programs cannot access advanced lab science. Susan bridged
this gap to show positive cognitive impacts. What FRRI is doing is truly remarkable.”
In the feasibility evaluation, 7 out of 10 first responders showed an average of 27 percent
improvement in the strength and speed of brain responses related to sensory, attentional, and
cognitive processing. These “brain vital signs” not only tracked resiliency improvements but they
also enabled first responders to benchmark their cognitive performance to help keep them at the
top of their game, both in their personal and professional lives.
Left: A first responder participant undergoing a three-day resiliency training program, with staff
monitoring cognitive brain responses before and after the program.
Right: An example of brain vital sign improvements in a single and random first responder
participant from before (PRE in blue) and after training (POST in red). These brain vital signs
evaluate the strength and speed of Auditory sensory (top right), Basic attention (bottom right),
and Cognitive processing (left side). Increased Cognitive processing activity is shown in the POST
measurement (bottom left).
Podcast Episode 16 – “First Responders show cognitive improvements following FRRI’s resiliency training”