LEVANT, Maine (WABI) – Levant Fire is promoting mental health and forming connections for people in the public safety field.

Monday night marked the first first responder fun night hosted by Levant Fire.

All members of public safety in the area were invited to share a meal, play games and enjoy each others company.

People in the field rarely get to connect with one another outside of work and tragedy, and Monday night gave them that opportunity.

The Levant Fire Chief hopes that events like this one will help people speak up and offer a hand to those who may be struggling.

“They have someone that can reach out when they leave that tragic call, or they’re dealing with something that’s traumatic,” Levant Fire Chief Eric Strout said.

“They’ve built a bond that someone they could reach out to and say, ‘Hey, I remember meeting him here that night, we had a good time’. Pick up the phone. I think all of us say that pick up the phone. But what we don’t do a good job of is doing something about it and planning something where we can do it,” Strout said.

“And we finally said, Hey, let’s do that. Let’s be the first to do it. Hopefully this is the first of many that we can do for years to come, and we just it keeps building upon that,” Strout said.

Public Safety members from many different stations and workforces attended Monday night’s event.

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