Thursday, October 1, 2026
For Linda Norton, one emergency call proved harder to leave behind than most: an 18-year-old boy had jumped in front of a train as it pulled into the station.
Norton, a standing lieutenant and former captain with the Baldwin First Aid Company, had spent years responding to emergencies ranging from delivering babies to performing CPR and treating victims of traumatic accidents. That call, however, stayed with her.
“I’ve seen a few train accidents,” Norton said. “And that got to me more than anything else.”
Norton had known Mary Jo “MJ” Stuparich for about 20 years. When she found herself struggling, she turned to her.
“I’ve always been able to talk to MJ,” Norton said. “I was just chatting with her one day, and she realized that I needed the help myself without me coming out and saying it.”
That experience helped put into motion Baldwin Fire Department Peer Support & Wellness, an internal program designed to give first responders someone to talk to after difficult calls or during personal struggles.
Stuparich, a former captain and the department’s peer support and wellness coordinator, had also been thinking about the toll emergency work could take on first responders who were accustomed to helping others rather than asking for help themselves.
“It’s so important for everybody to realize how much they have to take care of themselves, because so many people don’t, Stuparich said.
“We’re the heroes. We’re the strong ones. We’re not the ones that ask for help all the time. So, I’m trying to kind of normalize that is it okay to ask for help. It’s okay if you’re not okay.”
In June 2022, Stuparich approached fire commissioners and chiefs about establishing an internal peer-support program. They unanimously supported the idea.
Today, trained department members serve as listeners for firefighters and EMS personnel dealing with difficult calls, personal problems or cumulative stress.
“We’re not counselors or anything. We’re basically trained listeners to be there to help the members of the department when they’re going through something,” Stuparich said. “I’m just trying to normalize it to people that it’s okay to ask for help.”
That mission has since expanded beyond verbal crisis support to encompass everyday health and wellness.
The department put that broader approach into practice Sept. 20 at its second annual Health & Wellness Fair at Baldwin Fire Department headquarters on Grand Avenue.
Vendors offered information and services related to acupuncture, chiropractic care, physical fitness, diabetes education, blood pressure checks, vitamin infusions and assisted stretching.
Visitors could speak with vendors about available health and wellness services, collect information and try some offerings firsthand.
“My motto is that you can’t keep taking care of the community that we signed up to serve if we’re not taking care of ourselves first,” Stuparich said.
Timber Vignogna, owner of Response Ready Fitness, said that message is particularly important for people accustomed to just responding to others’ emergencies.
“First responders typically put themselves last when it comes to wellness, health, everything like that,” Vignogna said. “I hope that they see that there’s tons of people out there that can help them with their health and wellness. I hope that visitors make good, healthy choices.”
Caitlin Kennedy, founder of Caitlin Bree Acupuncture and a first responder herself, offered ear seeds, herbal liniments and information about acupuncture and pain management.
“I’m a first responder myself, so I understand,” Kennedy said. “I see all the guys in the firehouse and all the time they’re like oh, this hurts oh, that hurts. Come in, take care of yourself, and they’re like, oh, yeah when I have time I’ll try to get to it. So, to be here and be able to explain to people how they can take some time to help themselves and hopefully get people to feeling better means everything.”
For Stuparich, the fair and peer-support program share the same goal: making sure those who spend their time helping others know where to seek help themselves.
