The second annual Save Our First Responders 5K will be held January 9, 2027, at Truman Waterfront Park in Key West, bringing attention to mental health and suicide prevention among first responders, veterans and their families.
Deputy Jeffrey Snipes, who is involved in organizing the event, and retired Army Command Sergeant Major Tonya Oxendine joined Good Morning Keys on Keys Talk 96.9/102.5FM this morning to talk about the race.
Snipes said proceeds from the event will support mental health resources for first responders and their families in the Florida Keys, as well as the development of a Monroe County peer support team.
The goal is to establish a trained network of peers who understand the unique challenges of working in emergency services and can help colleagues access support before they reach a crisis.
“Peer support works because first responders are far more likely to open up to someone who has worn the same uniform and lived the same operational reality,” Snipes said.
He said the planned network would provide a safe, confidential place for first responders to discuss their experiences with people who understand their work, its culture and the stigma that can surround seeking help.
Snipes said the pressures faced by first responders can accumulate over time, with traumatic experiences and difficult working conditions often going unaddressed.
“The culture of silence shows up in all eight groups,” Snipes said, referring to the professions represented in the event’s Super 8 competition. “People are trained to keep going, to suck it up, and not to look weak.”
He said cumulative trauma can build over years of service, while moral injury can occur when workers feel their jobs or the systems they work within force them to act against their values or leave them feeling abandoned.
The event’s Super 8 competition will include police officers and sheriff’s deputies, firefighters, correctional officers and detention deputies, 911 dispatchers, crime scene investigators, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, nurses, correctional probation officers and members of the U.S. Armed Forces.
Oxendine, who retired after 30 years in the Army, shared her personal experience with mental health struggles and the resources that helped her recover. She now works with the Wounded Warrior Project, supporting veterans and their families.
Oxendine said she joined the Army seeking a better life after a difficult childhood. Although she loved serving and leading soldiers, she experienced sexual trauma and harassment during her military career.
She said she continued fulfilling her responsibilities without adequately addressing the impact those experiences had on her.
“I wasn’t on active duty struggling. I just was able to push all that stuff down, take care of my responsibilities, do what I needed to do,” Oxendine said. “But then there came a time when things got quiet for me on the outside, but in here things got really loud.”
After returning from her final deployment to Afghanistan in 2012, Oxendine said she experienced depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. She reached a point when she no longer wanted to live and considered driving her car off a bridge.
Thinking about her sons helped her reconsider her decision.
“I realized that they didn’t need a perfect mom, that they needed a present mom,” Oxendine said.
She drove to a military mental health facility and asked for help. She continues to attend therapy and credits the support she received with helping her move forward.
One program that helped her was the Wounded Warrior Project’s Warrior Talk program, which gave her the opportunity to speak regularly with someone who would listen without judgment.
“Sometimes that’s all you need. You don’t always need somebody to fix everything. You just need somebody to listen,” Oxendine said.
She said the Wounded Warrior Project also provides mental health support, physical activities, employment assistance through its Warrior to Work program, help accessing veterans’ benefits and opportunities to connect with other veterans. The organization also supports family members and caregivers, with services available at no charge to eligible veterans and their families.
Oxendine said she wants veterans and first responders to understand that asking for help is not a sign of failure.
“In the military and in the first responder profession, we’re so used to being the ones that everybody calls when something goes wrong,” she said. “We’re trained to respond, to make decisions, and to take care of people. But sometimes we just forget that we need somebody looking out for us as well.”
She encouraged people who are struggling to take the first step by telling someone they are not doing well.
Oxendine also emphasized the importance of physical activity and connection with others in her own recovery. After becoming ill during an attempt to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa this past summer, she had to be medically evacuated from the mountain before reaching its 19,341-foot summit.
Although she was devastated by not completing the climb, she eventually decided to pursue another challenge. She recruited fellow veterans, who trained together remotely from different states, and completed the Army Ten-Miler on October 11.
Oxendine said the experience reinforced the value of encouraging one another and maintaining connections with fellow veterans.
“It wasn’t just about running; it’s about connection, right?” she said. “Connecting with other veterans, connecting with other people, challenging ourselves, and getting out and enjoying life.”
Snipes said inviting Oxendine to participate in the Save Our First Responders event was an opportunity to connect the experiences of veterans and first responders, many of whom share similar challenges.
He noted that military veterans frequently transition into careers as police officers, firefighters, correctional officers and nurses, creating a close connection between the communities.
Oxendine said the 5K is important because it brings people together to discuss mental health and suicide prevention.
“We do a good job of thanking our veterans and our first responders for our service, and we should do that,” she said. “But I think we also need to ask how they’re doing when they’re not wearing the uniform.”
The Save Our First Responders 5K is scheduled for Saturday, January 9, 2027, at Truman Waterfront Park, next to the Coast Guard Cutter Ingham in Key West. The opening ceremony is scheduled for 7:45 a.m., followed by the race.
Registration is available at SaveOurFirstResponders.org. Proceeds will support mental health resources for first responders and their families in the Florida Keys and the development of the Monroe County peer support team.
Oxendine urged anyone experiencing difficulties, or anyone concerned about a friend or colleague, to reach out rather than wait for a crisis.
“Life is worth living. I promise you, it is life worth living,” she said. “If somebody’s listening right now and you’re struggling, reach out.”
People experiencing a mental health crisis can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which is available 24 hours a day.