Our resources are for Scotland's emergency service family and aimed at all those who work, volunteer or are retired from emergency responder organisations. And for family, friends and other supporters.

We know that not everyone sees themselves as an “emergency responder” so we want those of you working in non-frontline roles to know that this site is for you too.

The service specific pages have been funded and developed in partnership with the organisations listed below. Lifelines is a work in progress and we hope to develop additional resources for other responder colleagues. Until then, please make use of the information on the site. There is more common ground than difference and we are confident you'll find it relevant to your role.

Get help now by visiting our Find help page with information on national services available for ALL responders and their families. You can also visit our pages for Ambulance, Fire and Rescue, Police or Volunteer responders for service specific support.

We will explain what protects you in your work or volunteering role and how you can stay well, cope with stress and boost your resilience. You’ll also find information on how to be a supportive colleague and where you can access advice should you or your family need more help. We hope the films from responder colleagues bring the issues to life as they talk about what keeps them well and their experiences of injury and recovery.

In 2021 we will be running more training courses on Staying Well, Supporting Your Colleagues and Post-trauma support. We'll be working with the training teams of each service to integrate these courses and other national initiatives (National Trauma Training Programme, Scotland's Mental Health First Aid  and Distress Brief Intervention) into the core curricula, from recruitment to retirement.

Lifelines Scotland started as a Scottish Government funded project run by the team at NHS Lothian’s Rivers Centre for Traumatic Stress. The Rivers Centre have decades of experience working with the emergency services and providing treatment for staff who sustain psychological injuries through their work role. Lifelines is based on our understanding of what protects emergency responders and what helps them recover from injury.
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Lifelines was established in 2016, to support the wellbeing of Scotland’s volunteer responder community and in 2020 we became a resource for all emergency responders in Scotland.

We’re funded by the Scottish Government, Police Scotland, Scottish Ambulance Service, Scottish Fire & Rescue Service and the Fire Fighters Charity and are working in partnership with all those who share an interest in supporting the wellbeing of our country’s responders. Check the logos below to see our funders and partners.