Representatives from New Hampshire Theatre Project were in Warner on Thursday, watching as Governor Kelly Ayotte signed HB 1705 into law at a bill signing ceremony at the Warner Fire Department. HB 1705 expands access to the New Hampshire Employee Assistance Program for volunteer and small-town first responders. The program provides confidential short-term counseling, consultations, referrals, and educational resources to help first responders manage the unique stress and challenges of emergency service.
HB 1705 extends these services to volunteer firefighters, emergency medical personnel, and other first responders serving in small municipalities who previously did not have access to the program. The legislation received bipartisan support throughout the legislative process. New Hampshire is the first state in the nation to enact a bill offering this type of support to volunteer first responders.
Prime sponsor Rep. Loren Selig (D-Durham) serves on the Advisory Committee for New Hampshire Theatre Project’s Elephant-in-the-Room Series. During last year’s tour of the EITR program Aftermath: PTS and First Responders, she heard from small towns throughout the state whose volunteer first responders could not get the help they needed. This was her inspiration for sponsoring the bill.
“I am so proud of this bipartisan bill and the teamwork that got it to the governor’s desk,” Selig said. “HB 1705 will ensure volunteer first responders who regularly risk their lives to protect our communities have access to the support they deserve. From its inception to signing, there has been amazing collaboration across the aisle and across the state. Because implementation is contingent on funding, I am hopeful the program will receive full funding in the next budget cycle so these important services can reach every eligible first responder.”
In 2021, NHTP’s Elephant-in–the-Room Series received the Governor’s Award for Arts in Health. The EITR program reaches hundreds of people throughout the state and NHTP is deeply honored to have been a catalyst for HB 1705, which will in turn help the 6,000 volunteer first responders in the state of New Hampshire and the citizens they serve.
