The Long Beach Fire Department is the first fire department in the country to receive a three-year Mental Health Awareness Training Grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for its efforts to address homelessness and mental illness, officials said Tuesday.

The $360,968 grant will go to the fire department’s Homelessness Education And Response Team (HEART) to continue its newly developed training course on mental health first aid for firefighters and emergency medical technicians. 

The course teaches firefighters how to recognize and address behavioral health issues not only in the community but also with fellow first responders as they cope with high-stress situations.

In the course, firefighters learn about the risk factors and warning signs for mental illness and how first responders can help with early intervention.

“With this additional resource, our fire team is able to conduct further enhanced training internally and assist other fire departments looking to emulate some of our city’s program within their jurisdictions,” Mayor Robert Garcia said in a statement.