Emergency Tenders in Song and Spotlight

The first sound we hear in the film 9-1-1 Project Harmony is an all-too familiar official phone response, as heard on TV and films and in real life: “This is 9-1-1. What is your emergency?” It is an apt introduction to the theme of emergencies and the heroics and human vulnerability of first responders, who reportedly die from suicide more often than in the line of duty.

More specifically, the film conveys an inspiring new project dealing with the inevitable residue of the trauma that first responders are faced with and have festering in their lives, and a novel use of music and songwriting as a healing force. The half-hour film, directed by Santa Barbara–based music industry veteran Budd Carr, will premiere at the Lobero Theatre on Sunday, September 8. There will also be a live performance of the song “At Ease” by singer Lois Mahalia and songwriter Hannah Griffin, one of the fruits of collaboration between experienced songwriters and experienced first responders with these harrowing tales to tell. 

Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown will serve as a host for the event.

A key participant in the program 9-1-1 Project Harmony is retired Santa Barbara Police Sergeant Mike McGrew, cofounder and CEO of the music project’s host organization, 9-1-1 At Ease International, and also co-songwriter of “At Ease.” As a 31-year veteran, now retired, McGrew knows all too well the pressures of the first responder life, as well as a certain code of silence regarding mental health aftershocks. “There was a stigma that if a first responder reached out for help, that first responder was weak, or couldn’t handle the job,” he said. “This culture and the barriers to find help led the first responder industry to having a high suicide rate, divorce rate, and several negative coping mechanisms as they attempted to deal with the layered trauma that resulted in serving their community.

“I lost a few friends and co-workers at both the Santa Barbara Police Department and Fire Department to suicide and alcoholism. These people were very courageous and selfless servants who gave our community their all.”

After founding the now-nationwide 9-1-1 At Ease International with Michael Hammer of the Armand Hammer Foundation, the idea of a music therapy component emerged. McGrew explains that 9-1-1 Project Harmony “was initially created to pair first responders with songwriters to bring healing to the layered trauma they have endured through the songwriting process. Music therapy has existed for thousands of years and has been a way to honor warriors in many different cultures. Scientific discoveries of the benefits of music therapy were unveiled during World War I and continue to be used by the military today.”

In the film, mixed by Sean Holcomb and skillfully edited by Ethan Boehme, testimonials with long-time first responders are juxtaposed with the on-site experience of a retreat in which emergency workers work with songwriters to create and record a song within a 12-hour period. 

As officer Ken Wolfe says, “I’m not necessarily musical, so I never thought of the two worlds colliding and how therapeutic it could be…. The biggest thing for me is for people to see that law enforcement are not superheroes. We are people, too.”

He later touches on the fragile and violent on-the-job realities he has faced, saying, “One minute, you’re eating lunch, and then you get a call, and it may be a domestic situation with shots fired, or somebody’s been murdered.” Wolfe’s song, realized by songwriter Joseph Pfeifer, is “Behind That Badge.”

Ruby Wolff, who worked with crimes against children, had suicidal thoughts as a result of the work. On the job, she said, “You don’t cry. Here [in the songwriting program], I was showing absolute weakness.” Her song, with Scott Dorman, is “Never Forsaken,” its title borrowed from a Biblical passage that gave her hope.

Songwriter David Smith co-created “Hometown Cop,” about the sometimes horrific and highly personal experiences of Santa Barbara–raised officer Dave Gonzales, who sings the song himself. Gonzales’s story about a friend’s Russian Roulette episode is one of the film’s more shocking moments, bracingly awakening our sense of harsh realities faced by responders on the beat.

“We now have a film that opens the eyes of our community to who our first responders are and their true servant hearts,” McGrew comments. “The film displays the emotions associated with first responder trauma. The power of songwriting and music in healing trauma, and the creative process of writing a song, which most people will never see, is demonstrated.”

In terms of his own experience with the project and subsequent film component, McGrew asserts, “This process was definitely more satisfying, cathartic, and powerful than I could have ever imagined from the onset.

“To watch the healing received by the first responders was extremely satisfying. To hear the songs created and the messaging behind the songs was inspirational. To see the support of the people who have come around this project has touched me deeply. To participate in the process was one of the most powerful things that I have experienced. I was delivered in my song and continue to be healed every time I listen to it.”

9-1-1 At Ease International presents 9-1-1 Project Harmony on Sunday, September 8, 5:30 p.m. at the Lobero Theatre (33 E. Canon Perdido St.). For tickets and information, see lobero.org. For more information about the nonprofit, see 911aei.org.