NEWS RELEASE
Yavapai College is the First Fire College in the U.S. to Deliver the Before Operational
Stress (BOS) Mental Health Training to Students
March 11, 2023
YAVAPAI COUNTY, Arizona – Today, we are pleased to announce our
partnership with BOS to provide world class mental health training for students enrolled in our
Fire Science program. BOS was developed by leading mental health experts and
psychologists to provide practical tools for frontline workers to manage workplace stress.
Studies show that the BOS program may also help to mitigate more severe outcomes of
operational stress, such as Post Traumatic Stress (PTS).
“BOS believes strong minds train first and we share that mentality, it is important to equip our
students with the skills they need to be successful on the front lines and that includes mental
health training. Firefighters face increasingly dangerous situations that effect their mental
health and the BOS training will provide fire academy students a proactive approach in this
discipline. Mental health training is sometimes overlooked in our industry especially regarding
new firefighters. I am proud that Yavapai College is the first fire science college in the U.S. to
offer this world class mental health training program to our students.” – Robert Borker, Fire
Science Program Director
“We are pleased to see Yavapai offering mental health training to their students to equip them
with lifelong tools that will help them manage their workplace stress. Mental health is an
important aspect of training that can often get overlooked which is why we are thrilled that all
students in the Fire Science program at Yavapai will be receiving BOS mental health training.”
– Dr. Megan McElheran, Founder of BOS
All Yavapai Fire Science students will be required to take the BOS program as part of their fire
academy course load. The BOS program is offered through an online self-paced course that
can be completed anywhere over the time of their academy.
About BOS
Before Operational Stress (BOS) is a resiliency-based program specifically designed for public
safety personnel and first responders. The program was developed by leading mental health
experts and psychologists to provide practical tools for frontline workers to manage
operational stress.
For first responders, the battle does not stop when the workday ends and some of the
toughest battles are often the invisible ones. This is why psychologist, Dr. Megan McElheran,
Founder of BOS and Chief Clinician and CEO of Wayfound Mental Health Group, designed
BOS with a team of experts to help address frontline workers’ specific mental health needs.
The BOS program not only equips participants with resources and skills to help people learn
different ways to understand and react to stress but there has also been emerging evidence to
demonstrate the program’s effectiveness in improving mental health outcomes.
The BOS program is offered online through a self-paced course. If you are interested in the
BOS program for yourself or your organization, please visit the BOS website found [here].
For further information or media inquiries please contact:
BOS Media Contact
Shonda Feddema
BOS Program Director
ShondaF@wayfound.ca,
403-850-6711 or 403-828-5504
