Firefighters Helping Firefighters: Supporting Peer Support at Kansas City Kansas Fire Department

Sometimes it starts with a captain quietly pulling somebody aside after a difficult call.

Sometimes it’s stress showing up at home in ways they didn’t expect.

At the Kansas City Kansas Fire Department, those moments don’t get ignored.

They lead to conversations, support, and firefighters helping firefighters before the weight of the job becomes too heavy to carry alone.

This month, we’re proud to feature the Kansas City Kansas Fire Department through our Fire Department Coffee Club and Fire Department Shirt Club.

Through the Coffee Club, $2 from every bag purchased and every subscription order lifts up KCKFD’s peer support program. Through the Shirt Club, $5 from every shirt does the same.

The funds raised will benefit peer support training, firefighter wellness initiatives, travel expenses tied to support efforts, and resources that help firefighters access additional care when needed.

For firefighter-paramedic and Community Risk Reduction/Wellness Coordinator Mallory Super, that mission has become deeply personal over nearly two decades with the department.

“We bridge the gap,” she said. “You start with us, and then we help find resources and do what we need to do.”

That support can look different for everybody.

It could be a sit-down conversation with another firefighter who understands the job.

It could be helping somebody take the next step toward more intensive therapy.

Either way, the goal is the same: making sure nobody has to carry the weight alone.

Carrying the Weight of the Job Together

With approximately 400 sworn members across 18 stations, KCKFD serves a community that includes everything from inner-city neighborhoods to rural areas on the outskirts.

That means firefighters see a little bit of everything, too. Over time, those calls and those experiences accumulate.

Firefighters do not always realize how much they’re carrying until it begins affecting other parts of life, Super said, adding that it’s often the more seasoned veterans who reach out for support.

“As much as we try, it’s not, ‘Oh, I’m leaving everything from work at the door,’” she said. “There’s a trickle over.”

That reality is part of why KCKFD’s peer support program has become such an important resource. Active since 2008, the program now includes 17 trained peer support members who help firefighters process difficult calls, navigate stress, and connect with additional resources when needed.

Recently, KCKFD facilitated a peer support debrief after a pediatric cardiac arrest that ended in tragedy. The incident affected firefighters, police officers, and everyone involved in the response.

“That one definitely got everybody talking,” Super said.

The department brought multiple agencies together for the debrief, allowing responders to process the incident collectively and help provide a sense of closure.

The peer support team undergoes extensive training, including a 40-hour peer support course and additional training focused on firefighter wellness and crisis support.

But according to Super, the most important qualification cannot be taught in a classroom.

“I want people who have life experiences to draw from,” she said. “That helps people relate to you.”

The funds raised through this month’s collaboration will help KCKFD continue building that support system while helping firefighters access the care and resources they may need to continue doing the job they love.

No Place Like the Dotte

This month’s Fire Department Shirt Club shirt and Coffee Club bag perfectly capture the personality of KCKFD.

The custom artwork blends Kansas pride, firefighter culture, and local flavor into one of the most unique collaborations we’ve ever created.

The design features a fast-moving fire truck racing down the “Taco Trail” alongside a nod to the Yellow Brick Road. The sunflower imagery reinforces the Kansas connection, while “No Place Like the Dotte” pays tribute to Wyandotte County and the pride firefighters have in serving their community.

And yes, the Taco Trail is real.

Kansas City barbecue may get most of the national attention, but KCK has built its own reputation for authentic Mexican cuisine throughout the region.

“We have a ton of different authentic Mexican restaurants,” Super said. “They started the Taco Trail, and there are different restaurants, and you can kind of cross them off your list.”

As for what happens if you complete the entire trail?

“Maybe like a gold star,” she said. “Or heartburn.”

Every bag purchased, and every shirt ordered is a gold star for you, too, because it helps support firefighters who spend their careers showing up for others — and helps ensure somebody is there to show up for them, too.

Join the Fire Department Coffee Club and Fire Department Shirt Club this month and help support the Kansas City, Kansas Fire Department peer support program.