Following California Wildfires, Massage Therapists Provide Relief to First Responders & Survivors - Massage Magazine

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California’s devastating wildfires have evoked a call to action among massage therapists and integrative health practitioners across the state who want to do their part to provide relief to communities and first responders.​

The Integrated Healer’s Action Network (IHAN) is a non-profit 501©(3) organization that strives to bring integrative health to first responders and communities in times of crisis. It was born from the disastrous Tubbs Fire that burned through about 36,800 acres in Sonoma and Napa County in October 2017.

Massage therapists set up chairs and tables near an agricultural area in California. Photos courtesy of the Integrated Healer’s Action Network

California Wildfire Relief​

Jenny Harrow-Keeler, co-founder of the organization, remembers the outpouring of support from massage therapists, acupuncturists and other natural health practitioners.

Her initial efforts to gather practitioners grew from a handful to over 2,000 practitioners joining the Facebook group in a matter of days.

“All eyes were on what was happening in Sonoma County and people wanted to come up and support,” she told MASSAGE Magazine. “Eventually we were able to set up 15 clinics in shelters around Sonoma County where practitioners could drop in to help.”

Harrow-Keeler and IHAN co-founder Jen Riegle, ND, organized the clinic for evacuees, firefighters and first responders to receive 20-minute sessions. They had practitioners from various modalities, including acupuncture, herbalism, massage therapy, homoeopathy, Reiki, chiropractic and naturopathy. Clinics were set up at firefighter base camps and at two National Guard Armory locations.

“We were able to support first responders coming out of their shifts with massage, herbal medicine, naturopathic medicine and helping them with pain, trouble sleeping, respiratory issues and anything to help general stress and overwhelm,” said Harrow-Keeler.

Volunteers treated hundreds of firefighters and evacuees over the three weeks in which firefighters tirelessly worked on putting out the blaze. Harrow-Keeler and Riegle were inspired by the positive impact this California wildfire relief had on the community and wanted to continue their efforts.

Harrow-Keeler and Riegle decided to keep the effort going. They partnered with the Red Cross and formed the non-profit IHAN in 2018. Since then, they have continued to support Sonoma County firefighters by creating quarterly long-term-care pop-up clinics at fire stations.

They offer 100% free services to firefighters and volunteer firefighters who would otherwise have to pay out-of-pocket for services ranging from massage therapy to nutritional counseling. This is made possible thanks to the 150 volunteer practitioners in their network.

“Volunteer firefighters are not compensated for their work and they are putting their safety and health at risk. This is a way we are really able to help support them,” said Harrow-Keeler.

A massage therapist works on a client following the 2020 Glass Fire in Sonoma County.

Releasing Trauma​

The motivation behind IHAN’s long-term clinics is assisting firefighters in processing and releasing mental and emotional experiences from these traumatic fires with bodywork therapy and integrative health. California fires are more frequent than ever and the need for this work is growing.

“They are the helpers and are not the best at receiving help. The trauma they experience gets stuck in the body and they often don’t know how to release it,” said Harrow-Keeler. The long-term clinics would provide support for them to have a multitude of trauma-informed holistic care that would support them in somatic trauma release, which is a way of releasing trauma through body practices rather than talk therapy.

Nearly 82 percent of fire departments in the U.S. are entirely or mostly volunteer, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Half of all fire departments in Sonoma County are volunteer, said Harrow-Keeler.

A 2019 study on 600 current and former wildland firefighters reported:

• Wildland firefighters have higher rates of suicidal thoughts, anxiety, depression, PTSD and binge drinking than do the general public;

• 57 percent binge drink, while 22 percent report heavy alcohol use;

• 13.7 percent have possible PTSD;

• 20 percent report suicidal thoughts;

• 17 percent report depression, and;

• approximately 13 percent suffer from anxiety.

These numbers are two to 10 times higher than the general public, according to the study.

A massage therapist helps a client following California wildfires.

Free Integrated Health Clinics for Firefighters​

There are approximately 300 fire service volunteers in Sonoma who can drop into a clinic and receive a full range of services. Many report they have seen a decrease in pain, anxiety, and insomnia following their treatments.

IHAN personnel learned a lot about trauma from the Tubbs Fire disaster and have made trauma-informed training videos available to all their volunteers. This gives practitioners additional training on acute trauma and information on how the nervous system responds to extreme stress.

[Watch a video about IHAN’s work here.]​

MTF Community Service Grant​

In 2021, IHAN was awarded a $4,999.90 Community Service Grant from the Massage Therapy Foundation (MTF).

The MTF scores each application based on its impact to the community. “IHAN had a strong application. They were having an immediate significant impact on a community that was affected by disaster. They also have a structure to their program that has an education component,” said MTF President Adrienne Asta, LMT.

While applicants do not have to have an educational component to their program, the trauma-informed training did make IHAN standout because the impact would be felt not only by the first responders and evacuees receiving massage at the community clinics, but also the massage therapists themselves, said Asta.

“They are training massage therapists on how to respond and work in an environment like this and that will carry far beyond what they are being called to do,” Asta said. “The other aspect is when there is a traumatic event they will have the tools to be able to continue to serve people that way. That is highly impactful.”

The grant money is being used to recruit more volunteers, create additional trauma-informed training videos, and cover expenses in setting up the clinics, said Harrow-Keeler. IHAN is also able to provide travel expenses for the volunteers at the long-term clinics.

On IHAN’s horizon are monthly long-term clinics and stipends for volunteer practitioners, but more fundraising efforts are needed to make that possible.

“What we’ve noticed is that when a fire happens, a lot of people’s businesses close and it’s all hands on deck during the active response and for the long term recovery we are trying to provide compensation,” said Harrow-Keeler. Currently the clinics are open between 8 and 12 hours on a weekend and they see about 30 to 50 firefighters.

They have kept the sessions to 20 minutes as part of their trauma-informed approach to first responders’ care. Instead of providing deep relaxation as clients would receive at a private practice or wellness center, IHAN’s focus is on regulating the nervous system from acute trauma by bringing clients to a healthy balance between the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system responses. This also allows firefighters to remain alert for their jobs.

This approach is also necessary for evacuees in shelters who can feel overwhelmed by loss or be in shock. “We want people to feel safe. Especially for an evacuee, if someone just lost their home and they’re living temporarily in an evacuation shelter, it is a hard place to be.”
said Harrow-Keeler.

“It is usually crowded and there is a lot of activity, there is a lot of trauma that is happening collectively in the environment,” she added. “If we bring them into deep relaxation too quickly, it can bring on a flood of emotions in a way that can be dysregulating for their healing journey. In somatic experiencing it is called titration, we are not jumping from acute trauma to healing immediately. It is a journey, it’s going slow and that’s a huge part of it.”

The modality with the longest waitlist at the clinics is massage therapy. “People are familiar with it and understand it. The power of human touch is big,” said Harrow-Keeler.

Massage therapists at the clinics are often treating clients in a freeze response and have been able to use the trauma-informed approach to meet clients where they are and let them feel safe.

Asta said IHAN’s program is a model for others looking to offer massage therapy as a community service.

“If anybody is interested in starting a community service project of their own, they can look to the IHAN project as a model. And it doesn’t have to be for disasters,” said Asta. “They are putting the impact of touch therapy at the forefront and that is what we want. We want people to see the benefits of massage.”

Expanding IHAN’s Reach​

The organization’s goal is to help provide trauma-informed integrated health care to first responders and communities affected by disaster. It has participated in two additional major fire relief efforts since the 2017 Tubbs Fire along with the long-term community clinics, and personnel has hopes to branch out to help communities beyond Northern California.

IHAN is accepting volunteers to expand their clinic locations and help more volunteer firefighters.

For more information:

• Volunteer Registration

• Donation Page

• Corporate Sponsorship Page

About the Author​

Aiyana Fraley, LMT, is a freelance writer and health care professional with more than 20 years of experience in the massage field. She teaches yoga and offers sessions in massage, Reiki, sound healing and essential oils. Her articles for MASSAGE Magazine include “You Asked: What Does it Mean to Be a Reiki Master?” and “The Massage Therapist’s Guide to Assisted Stretching Techniques.”

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