KENTUCKY — On many occasions, firefighters are often the first to respond to a variety of emergencies, including medical incidents, car accidents, and others.

State Rep. Kim Banta (R) says she heard from many stakeholders during the 2021 Kentucky General Assembly legislative session who advocated on behalf of the statewide legislation, she explains during this In Focus Kentucky segment, that some of the stats about the mental health of firefighters across the Commonwealth were concerning.

"I think that it was the it was the suicides of two of our firefighters recently in Northern Kentucky that brought me around, that made me sit up and take notice. For sure. And then just talking to firefighters and realizing that they need somebody to talk to. Actually one of the best PTSD hospitals, is in Maryland. So it's a firefighter wants to go get treatment, they have to leave their family leave everything behind to go get this treatment, so that bothered me a little bit because I think being home with your family is something that you need during any kind of treatment," says Banta.