Retreat Registration – First Responders' Bridge

Registration for the August retreat is now closed. We are now registering for the December 11th - 13th retreat

The weekend is clinician-led and grounded in peer support.

These retreats are for First Responders and their Significant Others only. If you aren’t sure whether you qualify as a First Responder, please reach out to us through our Contact form.

Click here to view our August retreat agenda for an example of what to expect.

Please note that registration for this retreat is for first-time attendees. If you have attended a previous retreat, we will be having a follow-up retreat that you will receive a private invitation to.

When registering, please provide separate email addresses for the first responder and the significant other.

NOTE: When you register for your hotel room, if it says that "all rooms are full for our group", please call the Hotel Rooms Manager directly - Michael McCann, 614-336-4720. Make sure you tell him you are with the "First Responders' Bridge group" so they will add you to our account so you will not have to pay for your lodging. After you receive your confirmation number add it to your registration form below. If you have already completed your registration form, please email your confirmation number to renee@firstrespondersbridge.org.

Register for the December 2026 Retreat

First Responders' Bridge is a peer-support retreat, not a therapy, counseling, or treatment program.

These retreats are for First Responders and their Significant Others only. A Significant Other is a spouse, partner, fiancé/fiancée, someone in a long-term relationship, or anyone who supports a First Responder. A Significant Other may themselves also be a First Responder — there is space for them to enter their information too. If you are someone who works at an agency or organization that deals with First Responders, but are not a First Responder or their Significant Other yourself, please reach out to us through our Contact form.

Please note: The retreat is for adults only due to the serious content discussed during the weekend. We ask that you only bring your spouse or significant other that you have registered.

View our August retreat agenda for an example of what to expect.

Register yourself as Attendee 1 and, if one is attending, your Significant Other as Attendee 2. If the person attending with you is also a First Responder, they do not need to register separately — there is space for their details as Attendee 2. Each person is entered individually so we can plan lodging, meals, and breakout groups accurately.

Eligibility

Please confirm a couple of things before you register.

Due to heavy demand and limited space, these retreats are for first-time attendees. Please don't register to attend again unless you've received approval.

Have you previously attended a Bridge retreat? *

Our retreats are for active and retired Firefighters, EMS (pre-hospital / EMT, Paramedics), Corrections Officers, Dispatchers, and Law Enforcement Officers — and their significant others. If you do not fall into one of those categories (for example, you work in the facility but are not an officer), please contact us to see if you qualify.

Please indicate that you meet the criteria above *

Hotel/Lodging & Travel

If you need a room, please book it now and enter your confirmation number here — we've put this up front so you don't have to leave the form partway through and come back.

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We provide lodging Friday and Saturday nights free as part of the retreat. Staying at the hotel isn't required, but it's recommended so you can connect with peers and step away from distractions during your healing.

Thursday night is also covered — but only for attendees whose home address is out of state.

Will you need a room at the hotel during the retreat? *

Will you need transportation from the airport to the hotel?

If you are flying and need transportation, we will reach out to you to coordinate car service.

Are you planning to bring a service dog to the retreat? *

Service dogs must be fully trained (not in training). Please let us know so we can notify the hotel.

Retreat details

Which retreat you're registering for.

Which retreat are you registering for? *

How did you hear about us?

Tell us more (optional)

Please let us know more details — for example, a name or which social media.

Attendee 1

Register yourself first. If you are not the First Responder, you can enter their information as Attendee 2. Each Attendee is entered separately.

First name *

Last name *

Suffix

Preferred Name

This is the name we'll put on your badge and use in correspondence with you.

Attendee 1 is a *

Personal email *

Use a personal email. Work systems often block our messages, and a personal email keeps this registration out of your employer or work email records.

Phone *

Use a personal cell phone rather than a work phone. This keeps your registration out of your employer or work records.

Home address *

Address line 2

City *

State *

ZIP / Postal code *

Country *

Food allergies / dietary needs *

I do not have a food allergy or dietary restriction
I have a food allergy or dietary restriction

Meals and snacks are provided throughout the retreat, so we want to be sure we're aware of any food allergies and dietary needs.

What are your expectations for the retreat? *

Tell us what you're hoping for, and anything else that would help us look after you that weekend. Practical things count: needing a quiet space, arriving on edge, a hard anniversary falling that weekend, a topic you'd rather not be asked about in a group. A real person reads every one of these. Short is fine.

Wellness check-in

Strictly confidential. Everything in this section is held in the strictest confidence within First Responders' Bridge and is shared only with our retreat clinicians to help support you during the weekend. It is never shared with your department, employer, agency, or anyone outside First Responders' Bridge. These questions are only here so our retreat clinicians can support you during the weekend; First Responders' Bridge is a peer-support retreat, not a therapy or treatment program.

Are you currently — or have you in the past been — experiencing thoughts of suicide or self-harm? *

Do you have, or have you had, a problem with alcohol, drugs, or controlled substances? *

We're not asking about occasional social drinking, cannabis used legally, or a prescription you take as directed — and your answer won't affect whether you can attend. We ask only so that, if going without alcohol, drugs, or controlled substances for the three days of the retreat could be hard on your body or wellbeing, a clinician can check in with you beforehand. And if you rely on alcohol or other substances just to get through your day, it is important that you are able to take part fully and safely across the three days of the retreat, so telling us now simply lets a clinician help you plan for that.

Will someone (a spouse, partner, or support person) be attending with you? *

Attendee 2

The spouse, partner, or support person attending with you. If that person is also a First Responder you can enter their information here.

First name *

Last name *

Suffix

Preferred Name

This is the name we'll put on your badge and use in correspondence with you.

Attendee 2 is a *

Personal email *

Use a personal email, different from Attendee 1 if possible. Work systems often block our messages, and a personal email keeps this registration out of their employer or work email records.

Phone *

Use a personal cell phone rather than a work phone, and a different number from Attendee 1 if possible. This keeps the registration out of their employer or work records.

Is Attendee 2's home address the same as Attendee 1's? *

Yes — same as Attendee 1
No — a different address

Home address *

Address line 2

City *

State *

ZIP / Postal code *

Country *

Food allergies / dietary needs *

Attendee 2 does not have a food allergy or dietary restriction
Attendee 2 has a food allergy or dietary restriction

Meals and snacks are provided throughout the retreat, so we want to be sure we're aware of any food allergies and dietary needs.

What are their expectations for the retreat? *

Tell us what they're hoping for, and anything else that would help us look after them that weekend. Practical things count: needing a quiet space, arriving on edge, a hard anniversary falling that weekend, a topic they'd rather not be asked about in a group. A real person reads every one of these. Short is fine.

Additional information

Emergency contact and anything else you'd like us to know.

Emergency contact

Someone we can reach during the retreat weekend if needed.

Is the emergency contact the same for both attendees? *

Emergency contact — name *

Emergency contact — relationship *

Emergency contact — phone *

Emergency contact — alternate phone

Emergency contact consent *

I consent to allow First Responders' Bridge to contact the above individual in case of an emergency, and to disclose medical information if necessary.

Informed consent

Please review and acknowledge the agreement, then submit your registration.

Please review the First Responders' Bridge Agreement and Informed Consent before submitting your registration.

Informed consent acknowledgment *

I have read and acknowledge the Informed Consent document.