The physical protection of our first responders has become a given in most cities and counties. They regularly budget for bulletproof vests that save many lives. But are there other ways to help them be bulletproof?

Another way is to be legally and transparently bulletproof. Local governments equip their law enforcers with body cams and dash cams to do this. Yes, they are also protecting themselves from lawsuits — as they protect their officers and deputies from false charges. This is a win-win situation for the public too, providing some protection from overreacting law enforcement men and women. Unfortunately, this happens occasionally, but less so if they know their body cam is on.

Lest you point out that the officers intent on escalating situations just have to turn off the body cam, newer body cams automatically come on when a weapon is drawn, and all data is directly backed up in the cloud with no access for local officers. They can’t turn it off during deadly times, and they can’t delete or doctor it later.

This leads my thoughts to being mentally bulletproof. I’m amazed by how many different courses of training are offered at the Peace Officer Standards and Training Academy, known as P.O.S.T. Being thoroughly trained brings a mental readiness for the variety of demands that they face. This training is also for dispatch staff, jail deputies and probation officers.

What about being bulletproof socially while on the job? The growing trend within the ranks is to share burdens and talk out issues rather than be the macho, tough guy of a past generation. The sheriffs, police chiefs, and their command staff have learned the best way to retain the officers and deputies is to form a brotherhood. It makes sense; they have all seen and lived through dark days of violence and loss and can understand better than most the struggles afterwards.

This shift in working conditions is also improving for another group of peace officers — the jail deputies who deal with frustrated, angry or despondent inmates on a daily basis. The new I.G.N.I.T.E. program is not only changing lives one class at a time, but it is also slowly shifting the general jail attitude between the imprisoned and the ones with the keys. There is a growing number of inmates and deputies who are no longer adversarial with each other. Deputies are encouraging inmate growth and further education, and the inmates see that and appreciate it. Both sides are becoming human to each other.

To be clear, all of these deputies and officers are as tough as before, but they have also learned that true strength is when you can also be gentle. Ralph W. Sockman said, “Nothing is so strong as gentleness, and nothing is so gentle as real strength.”

Which brings me to the last area of becoming bulletproof — emotional resilience. Christa Trinchera and Melissa Davis of Heroes Resilience Initiative have brought new healing technologies to facilitate emotional healing for Bingham County’s first responders. This new approach is focusing on lowering stress heightened hormones after they are no longer needed.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony opened a transformed office that is now a restorative center. The funds raised at this March’s Idaho Gives event were used to purchase a Chi machine cot with a warming infrared sauna dome. Together, they are the first response to lower the spiking adrenaline and cortisol hormones that are no longer needed. Usually, these hormones take days to come down, instead of an hour or so with the use of these machines. Veteran SWAT responders report their recovery time from trauma situations has dropped by at least two weeks when using similar machines. They found they could truly relax into restorative sleep that same night, instead of reliving the horrors they saw.

Another help, funded by Idaho Gives, is the terahertz machine that helps with lower body strains and injuries through pulse electromagnetic frequencies. This is coupled with a comfy chair and a handmade, blessed quilt created by Jan Waaler, from the Stitchers group of First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Idaho Falls. This gift of love helps warm their core temperature as they let their muscles relax. A deputy in attendance, who was skeptical at first, said it greatly assisted his leg strain after a difficult emergency.

To complete the trio of healing devices, the Resilience Room Initiative donated a zero-gravity type chair with infrared heat and a mat with jade and tourmaline stones for negative ion grounding. According to Chief Deputy Jordyn Nebeker, the weightlessness feeling, the warmth, and the body support can bring relief for the back and strained joints.

With all this physical assistance for emotional resilience, there is a potential companion program in Blackfoot — the First Responders Sabbatical program that the Blackfoot Police Department established last January. With careful use of resources, they are providing a concentrated 14-day counseling sabbatical for responders. Sometimes you just need a break from all the reminders to bring full emotional healing. So far, it seems to be an effective tool.

One last note. As the body cams are a help for the law enforcement and the public, this resilience room can also be used a bit in reverse. We are all human, including deputies, officers and dispatchers. There may be personal traumas that follow them to work. Sheriff Jeff Gardner thought there could also be a way to help those arriving at work with a heavy emotional load who could use the jungle room to destress and refocus on the shift ahead. They would then be better able to perform at their best, which means positive outcomes for all of us.

I confess the “jungle” room name is mine, due to the lush green-looking room and green lights — both of which aid in countering the red and white emergency lights that accompany critical situations. Trinchera and Davis seem to have thought of every little detail.

As to the need for such a room? Even as I was snapping pictures and asking questions, the dispatchers in the adjoining room were dealing with at least three emerging serious incidents. I was told the jungle room was busy that night. It has already become a first step in recovery for our local first responders, helping them go home better prepared to continue their own recovery. Turns out being bulletproof is more than just wearing a vest.