The National Standard for Responder Behavioral Health Protection
The American Board of First Responder Behavioral Healthcare (FRBH) is a national nonprofit standards-setting and accreditation body that accredits public safety agencies based on whether they have organizational protections in place that automatically activate appropriate behavioral health safeguards following qualifying occupational trauma exposure—rather than relying on individual self-disclosure.
FRBH’s standards focus on how public safety organizations are structured, governed, and sustained to protect their workforce from predictable and foreseeable line-of-duty trauma exposure. The framework treats behavioral health protection as organizational safety infrastructure and a matter of institutional duty of care—not an individual burden or discretionary benefit.
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Exposure to trauma is a predictable and inherent operational condition of public safety work. Personnel routinely encounter crisis, danger, and human suffering as part of carrying out essential public safety responsibilities.
Historically, behavioral health protections have relied on individuals recognizing distress and asking for help. In practice, this has produced uneven safeguards shaped by local practices and available resources rather than the structural realities of trauma-exposed work.
A national standard establishes a consistent baseline for organizational responsibility, ensuring protective systems are embedded within routine operations and governance rather than dependent on individual disclosure or discretionary adoption.
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FRBH establishes the national framework defining organizational responsibility for behavioral health protection in trauma-exposed public safety work.
The National Standard places system design, activation, and oversight at the governance level, requiring safeguards embedded within organizational structure and routine operations rather than dependent on crisis recognition or individual help-seeking.
Grounded in occupational safety, governance, and risk-management principles, the standard treats trauma exposure as an inherent job hazard requiring durable, organization-level protection.
FRBH does not create programs or deliver services.
It establishes and maintains a national framework for governing, activating, and sustaining behavioral health protection as an institutional safety function.
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FRBH engages organizations and institutional stakeholders responsible for establishing, governing, and advancing system-based behavioral health protection, including:
Public safety organizations seeking nationally recognized accreditation
Government and policy leaders responsible for workforce protection, governance, and oversight
Funders and strategic partners supporting adoption and independent verification of national standards
FRBH’s work is organizational in scope.
FRBH does not provide services to individual responders and does not deliver clinical care, training, implementation, or consulting services.
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FRBH accreditation provides independent verification that an organization’s governance and operational systems conform to the requirements of the FRBH National Standard for behavioral health protection. Evaluation focuses on organizational design, activation criteria, oversight mechanisms, and structural durability.
Accreditation review is conducted through processes structurally separated from standards development and funding sources, consistent with recognized independent accreditation models. Determinations are based on documented evidence of governance and system activation—not program descriptions or individual participation.
Accreditation does not evaluate individuals, clinical licensure, treatment decisions, clinical outcomes, employment matters, or personnel actions.
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Sustained Functional Resilience™ (SFR) is a system-activated organizational framework designed to support behavioral health protection in trauma-exposed occupations.
SFR emphasizes automatic activation, governance integration, and sustained accountability aligned with operational realities.
FRBH accreditation is framework-neutral. No framework—including SFR—is required, endorsed, or provides advantage in accreditation determinations.
Accreditation is based solely on demonstrated conformity to the FRBH National Standard.
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FRBH translates established research, occupational safety doctrine, governance principles, and public-safety practice into nationally consistent organizational standards for behavioral health protection.
Standards and accreditation criteria are informed by recognized evidence and governance norms while remaining adaptable to varied agency structures, jurisdictions, and operational missions.
FRBH does not conduct original clinical, academic, or scientific research. Its role is to define, maintain, interpret, and independently verify organizational standards grounded in existing evidence and institutional practice.
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As part of its charitable mission, FRBH recognizes that occupational trauma exposure exists across public safety and prioritizes expanding accreditation access for organizations operating in environments with comparatively higher levels of routine trauma exposure.
The FRBH Access Fund reduces financial barriers to participation in national accreditation for eligible public safety organizations, including rural, volunteer, and resource-constrained agencies.
Access Fund support does not influence accreditation criteria, evaluation processes, or accreditation determinations. Financial assistance is structurally separated from accreditation review and does not involve clinical services.
National Standards and Accreditation
Scope Notice: FRBH does not evaluate clinical care, provide treatment guidance, accredit healthcare providers, or regulate mental health programs. It operates exclusively at the level of governance and organizational safety systems.