Counseling groups in Wise County step up to help first responders after fatal crash

ALVORD – One day after a deadly crash in Wise County that killed four people, counseling groups are offering assistance to the first responders who worked the scene.

On Thursday, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) released the names of the 14 people involved in the crash. Investigators said the victims were of Haitian descent and were traveling from Florida to New Mexico when the crash happened.

Now the community is coming together to support the first responders, ensuring they have the counseling and mental health resources needed to process what they saw.

Wise County Christian Counseling is offering crisis intervention response services to first responders who worked Wednesday's deadly van crash.

"Anybody who needs help, whether it be one-on-one, group, whatever, they said, 'We're open for that. Let's get together. Let's pull together to make sure these guys have not only the physical help they need but also the mental help to process what they've all been through,'" Alvord Mayor Caleb Caviness said.

Alvord Volunteer Fire Chief Heather Redder manages a department of 16 volunteers and one career firefighter.

"We try to be very supportive of our members as well, reaching out as often as we can for incidents like this that might affect them physically and mentally," Redder said.

A licensed clinical social worker and Day 6 Ranch reached out to Redder to offer their help. The Alvord Volunteer Fire Department also has a chaplain.

"He is certified in critical stress incident management, and he is also certified on the Texas Line of Duty Death Task Force, so he has a lot of training dealing with these types of incidents," Redder said.

A cross marks the spot where four people lost their lives during a rollover crash on Wednesday. City leaders are looking at even more ways to help first responders deal with tragedies like this in the future.

"Someone had recommended some equine counseling and stuff like that," Caviness said. "It's just some different ideas. We're open to all of that. We don't know what we don't know, so if there's something out there that would help these guys, we'll certainly do all that we can for them."

Alvord has fewer than 1,500 residents, but the heart of helping the community's heroes is strong as they cope with tragedy.