Duke to train as emergency services crisis counsellor
Prince William says police and fire fighters are ‘not robots’ as he launches mental health text service
THE Duke of Cambridge is to train as a volunteer counsellor for a text crisis service, he has said, as he launches a hotline for the emergency services.
The Duke said he “really wants” to learn how to answer text messages from those in need, acknowledging that the “distressing” things fire fighters, police officers and paramedics see every day must catch up with them.
On a visit to The Fire Fighters Charity, he said those who worked to keep the public safe were “not robots”, and needed support for their mental health.
He was speaking at the launch of a new initiative called Shout, which has been specifically designed for the emergency services and developed by the Royal Foundation.
“I’m aiming to set myself up for it, I really want to do it,” he said. “Even if I can only do an hour on my laptop. I want to do the training and be able to help.”
Shout was launched by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Duke and Duchess of Sussex in May, and provides a confidential 24/7 text service that connects people experiencing problems, from suicidal thoughts and relationship issues to bullying.
Members of the emergency services community can now text “bluelight” to 85258 to start a conversation with a specially trained volunteers, allowing them to express their feelings anonymously and seek help.
Victoria Hornby, the Shout chief executive, said: “We want to encourage people to reach for help at an early stage without fear or shame, and to show what a positive step this can be by providing a safe space to listen without judgment.”
It comes after the Duke offered his support to a planned “999 statue” commemorating the 7,000 people who have died in service while protecting the British public.
On a visit to mark Emergency Services Day, the Duke spoke to emergency responders at Harcombe House in Devon, one of three UK residential centres run by the Fire Fighters Charity. During an art therapy session at the centre, which has just undergone a £1.8 million refurbishment, he met Richard Baldwin, 70, a retired fire fighter, and Dan Bills, a serving fire fighter, and their families.
The Duke, a former air ambulance and search and rescue pilot said: “What I always find with the blue light community is that you put the hat and the uniform on day in day out and you see whole families being torn apart. You
‘Even if I can only do an hour on my laptop. I want to ... be able to help’
try and compartmentalise, you try not to bring it back to your own family but after a while one or two jobs catch up with you.
“If the blue light community can be more open about the things that bother them, then others can as well.
“We are not robots, and if you are in the emergency services for long enough you see really distressing things. All that weighs upon you, and if you have something going on at home – family, illness – it all gets on top of you. Too many things to keep a lid on.”
Asking Mr Baldwin about the job he began in 1968, the Duke said: “Mental health wasn’t a thing, was it?”
Mr Bills, 35, from the London Fire Service, said: “It’s changed in the last 10 years. If you went to an incident that was difficult it was barely spoken about. People don’t hesitate now, there’s no shame now.”
As he admired artwork by Mr Bill’s children – Joshua, 12, Mia, seven and three-year-old Isla – the Duke spotted a unicorn horn made from colourful balls. “My daughter [Princess Charlotte] loves unicorns,” he said. “Loves them. Very cool.”