How Peer Support Canines Are Improving Mental Health at the Fire Station
Wade Munson and his dog Pax are inseparable. Often seen together at fire houses and in the community, Munson gives Pax a toy to give to officers and is willing to be pet by most anyone.
But Munson and his dog are not just citizens, they work for the fire department.
Munson, a firefighter and paramedic with the Orange County (CA) Fire Authority, is the canine peer support specialist for the fire authority. He brings Pax to stations and other locales within the southern California fire department to help staff navigate behavioral health issues for firefighters and their families.
Munson, with Pax alongside, discussed the pair’s role at OCFA in a recent interview with Public Safety Group. Watch the video below.
Pax, a 4-year-old Labrador Retriever, is a peer support canine. Though the public mostly thinks of dogs who support public safety officers as animals that assist with search and rescue efforts or narcotics detection, dogs are increasingly being considered as serving exclusively in a behavioral and mental health capacity, Munson says.
“We’re seeing a huge investment in departments nationwide who are looking to boost the profile and efficacy of their behavioral health resources for their departments,” he says.
He says there is a long history of dogs and the fire department—think of the classic image of a firefighter with a dalmatian—but over time, humans have continuously re-examined what a dog can do for a fire station. Today, the biggest need is therapeutic.
“Therapy dogs are entering into station life for a couple of reasons,” Munson says. “The first reason is that just being around a dog just brings a level of comfort and hominess back into the fire house, which is a very regimented, structured world. It gives people a taste of home.”
Munson developed the program at OCFA, which launched in early 2023, and is continually adapting to the department’s needs. For example, he says he brings Pax to visit firefighters who have been on shift for long periods of time. Pax will accompany him to visit dispatchers, adding that these individuals take the incipient calls but “don’t get the closure that firefighters” in the field do. He says there is an added benefit when firefighters bring their families to the station: Pax greets them as well.
“It’s a healthy mix of home life and personal life into their work sphere that takes a lot of emotional and physical bandwidth,” Munson says.
Munson says dogs are typically selected due to temperament, personality and a bit of known history. Munson said he and Pax clicked pretty quickly once introduced to one another. Pax was selected and eventually trained at Performance K9 Training and Boarding in Carlsbad, California, and pressed into action shortly thereafter.
It is plain to see the effect Pax can have. Even on a video call, Pax steals the show.
“He is awesome,” Munson says as he plays with Pax in the background. “He’s my best friend.”
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