Tactical Resilience-Staying in the Fight
Patti Graham and SCFAST
Wednesday, June 11, 2026
8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Tactical Resilience: Staying in the Fight is a comprehensive mental wellness program designed specifically for first responders who face cumulative stress, trauma exposure, and high-stakes decision-making environments. This four-hour course creates a structured, supportive space to explore the question: “What happened to you?”—shifting the narrative from blame and suppression toward understanding, resilience, and recovery.
Participants will engage in guided conversations on trauma, resilience, and healing, recognizing how critical incidents, repeated exposure, and organizational stressors impact overall wellness. The program emphasizes practical strategies and peer-centered dialogue, equipping responders with tools to remain operationally effective while protecting their long-term mental and emotional health.
Patti Graham
Born into a family of service, Patti grew up around first responders and other community servants. Following her father’s line of duty death in 2008, she started as a chaplain in 2009, finished her firefighter training in 2010, all while working to develop a program to “Serve Servants” to focus on mental wellness.
She quickly became connected with other likeminded first responder and is one of the co-creators of the South Carolina First Responder Assistance and Support Team (SC FAST) formed in 2011. Patti became the team leader in 2013.
After 20 years of marriage to Ed Johns, Patti became widow. Being given another opportunity to love and be loved, Patti married Steve Graham in 2016 and they live in Spartanburg, SC.
Steve and Patti have a personal perspective of firefighter suicide after losing their son, Matt, to suicide in 2020. This has served to solidify Patti’s determination to do everything possible to not only educate first responders and their families but to facilitate the connections needed to heal trauma, whether it stems from childhood, work, or life in general.
Patti and Steve have 10 grandchildren and cherish every moment they get with each of them.
