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By Ashley Silver
Police1 Staff
MARIETTA, Ga. — Georgia first responders will have a new wellness room to escape to when they need to decompress as part of a new mental and emotional well-being initiative geared toward officers and firefighters.
Firefighters and officers spoke to a local news station about the need to relax after witnessing and experiencing disturbing situations daily.
“You can imagine it, they see it and it’s bad,” Marietta Fire Department Chief Tim Milligan told WSBTV News.
“Horrible car accidents. Suicides. Homicide scenes,” Marietta Police Department Chief Marty Ferrell added.
According to WSBTV, a space inside the Marietta Police Department will now be used as a wellness room, equipped with a massage chair, soothing sounds, low lighting and walls painted with a color that promotes relaxation.
“It also has a special beat behind the scenes that you don’t really hear, but it’s scientifically proven to lower your heart rate, your respiration, your anxiety,” Ferrell told the news platform.
The City of Marietta recently approved funding to launch the mental health initiative for public safety employees and invest more funds into the city’s Public Safety Training Center.
The wellness room is expected to open by January 2023.
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