Who comes

Five branches, and the people who live with them.

First Responders

Sworn and civilian. Career and volunteer. Fire, law enforcement, EMS, dispatch and corrections. Active or retired, because the weight doesn't retire when you do.

The person beside them

Whoever that is. They've been living with what you brought home, and the weekend is built for both of you: together for some of it, apart for the parts where you each need your own room.

Leadership

Command carries a different weight: the calls you ordered, the people you sent. One leadership retreat a year, among peers who understand the difference.

Retreats are for First Responders and the person who comes with them. Significant others are strongly encouraged to come, but it isn't required. If you aren't sure whether you qualify as a First Responder, reach out through the contact form.

What to expect

Friday night you don't say much. By Sunday you've said things you've never said out loud.

Every retreat has its own agenda, published on that retreat's own page. The shape of the weekend stays the same, and it's full.

Friday

Arrive and settle in

Check-in runs through the middle of the day. Speakers open the afternoon, and the first discussion groups meet before dinner. Most people arrive quiet.

Saturday

The long day

Breakfast, then breakout sessions, held separately for First Responders and for the people with them, so both can speak freely and have time to connect. Dinner together, and the night ends with a comedian, because after a day like that, everybody needs a laugh.

Sunday

Out by noon

We try to have you on the road by noon. Hang in for the final stretch: the closing sessions and the clinician panel, built for anyone who's decided over the weekend that they want a next step.

A speaker addresses a breakout session at a First Responders' Bridge retreat A comedian performing on stage at the Saturday dinner

Between the sessions: meals together, and whatever the venue offers: group yoga (entirely voluntary), a pool, a fitness room, a sauna. Eat, talk, and trade phone numbers with the people you meet. Those conversations don't have to end on Sunday. Every attendee is invited to a private Facebook group just for Bridge attendees, so you can keep in touch with your peers once you're home.

About alcohol: there's a bar at the hotel, and you're welcome to socialize there on your own time. But no alcohol during retreat hours or in any retreat space.

What it costs

You get yourselves here. We take care of everything else.

Covered for you and the person with you

  • Your hotel room for both nights
  • Every meal, Friday through Sunday
  • Snacks and non-alcoholic drinks all weekend: coffee, tea, sodas and water
  • The best speakers, clinicians, peer support and chaplains from across the country
  • All materials
  • Whatever the venue offers: pool, fitness room, sauna, yoga
  • Car service to and from CMH (John Glenn Columbus International Airport), driver tip included

What you bring

  • Transportation to the hotel and home again
  • An open mind and a willingness to lean in. Come ready to listen, learn, reflect and embrace the chance for growth and healing. You don't have to have all the answers; just be willing to show up for yourself and be open to the experience.
  • Respect for confidentiality. We ask everyone to honor the privacy of fellow attendees. What's shared at the retreat stays at the retreat, so everyone can feel comfortable opening up.

Donors and sponsors cover everything else, in full, so that nobody has to decide between getting help and making a mortgage payment.

See who pays for itHelp cover a weekend

“Brother, I flew to Ohio from Oregon to get my life back. You’re worth it.”

Retreat attendee, Oregon

“What The Bridge did in 3 days was more than the VA did in 10+ years.”

Navy veteran and paramedic

“I attended a different program designed specifically for firefighters, and I left that program feeling worse than when I entered. In contrast, I left the Bridge Retreat feeling positive, hopeful, and stronger in my relationship with my wife.”

Firefighter, Central Ohio

Questions people actually ask

Before you register.

Retreats are for adults only. No children, please.

There's no childcare of any kind at the retreat. And no alcohol during retreat hours or in any retreat space.

Do I have to be in crisis?

No. Most people who come aren't. Pick a weekend, register both of you on one form, and come as you are.

Where are the retreats held?

Right now, every retreat is held at the Marriott in Dublin, Ohio. There may be other locations later. If that changes, each retreat's page will say where it is.

Is what I say confidential?

What's said at a retreat stays at the retreat. We don't contact your department, your leadership or your union.

Are children welcome?

No. Retreats are for adults only. Please don't bring your children to the retreat.

There are no facilities for children: no babysitting and no childcare of any kind. And during the speakers and the breakout sessions, things are often discussed that kids don't need to overhear.

If what you're carrying involves your kids, bring those questions with you. The clinicians and peer supporters who lead the discussions and round-table talks are experienced in trauma response and in working with First Responders, and there's time set aside to ask.

Can I drink at the retreat?

Not during the retreat. There's a bar at the hotel, and you're free to socialize there on your own time, but there's no alcohol during retreat hours or in any retreat space.

Is this a religious organization?

No. Some of the speakers' own stories are faith-based, because that's what got them through, and there's a session on spiritual survival. Those sessions are marked with an asterisk on the agenda; if you'd rather not attend them, feel free to sit them out. Chaplains are there for anyone who wants one. None of it is required and none of it is the price of admission.

“We understand that not everyone has the same faith, or any at all, and we respect that. We will follow your lead when it comes to spiritual matters.”

Bridge chaplain

Coming up

2027 retreats.

February 26–28

General retreat

May 14–16

General retreat

July 16–18

Leadership retreat, for command staff

August 13–15

General retreat

December 3–5

General retreat

Every retreat runs Friday morning to Sunday noon at the Marriott in Dublin, Ohio. See every past retreat, with its agenda →

“You don’t go to the Bridge and it’s just cured, but they give you hope and they give you the tools.”

Tim Wagner, Fire Services and EMS, Canton TownshipWatch Tim’s story →

How registering works

  • Register both of you at once. One form covers the First Responder and the person coming with them. If you're both First Responders, there's room on the form for that, so the second one doesn't need to register separately.
  • Use two different email addresses. We ask for two so we can make sure you both know you're registered, and so we have a backup if a message doesn't go through when we send final instructions or have a question.
  • Book your room through the group block. The link is in the registration form. Your room is covered; you just have to claim it.
  • If the block says it's full, it isn't. Call the hotel's rooms manager directly and say you're with the First Responders' Bridge group. The number is on the registration form for that retreat.

Registration for the next retreat: first-time attendees, both of you on one form.

Register for a retreat

Retreats fill up fast. If you don't get in, email renee@firstrespondersbridge.org to ask for a spot on the cancellation list, or register for our next retreat as soon as it opens.