Our Story

Unpack the Bag was born from real experience and profound loss within the first responder community. As a former Director of PR, Recruitment, and Retention at an EMS Agency, our founder Tina Bell witnessed firsthand the mental health challenges facing emergency service professionals.

In March 2021, while leading recruitment efforts at her agency, tragedy struck. The loss of an EMT to suicide became a turning point that would eventually lead to the creation of Unpack the Bag. When the opportunity arose to develop a resiliency program in February 2022, Tina stepped forward, transforming personal loss into a mission to prevent future tragedies.

Our Founder

Tina Bell brings over 18 years of experience in healthcare, emergency services, and organizational development to Unpack the Bag. Her unique background combines extensive work in EMS operations with expertise in building strong, resilient organizational cultures.

Beyond her EMS experience, Tina’s career spans roles as a business consultant for urgent care centers, where she helped healthcare organizations scale from single locations to multi-market operations. As a culture strategist and marketing professional, she has consistently demonstrated the ability to tackle complex organizational challenges with innovative solutions.

Tina’s academic foundation includes:

• A degree in Public Relations from Sam Houston State University
• International Relations studies at the University of Edinburgh and Universidad Iberoamericana Puebla
• Training as a Community Chaplain

Our Mission

Today, Unpack the Bag delivers resiliency awareness training directly to first responder agencies. Our signature 4-hour introduction course was developed through extensive research, collaboration with mental health professionals, and consultations with successful peer support programs across fire, EMS, and law enforcement agencies.

The program’s name, “Unpack the Bag,” reflects our core belief: Strength isn’t about carrying the weight alone. It’s about knowing when and how to unpack the emotional baggage that accumulates over a career in emergency services and when to ask others for help carrying the bag.

Why It Matters

Less than a year after developing the initial program, Tina received devastating news about her first EMT intern’s death by suicide. This loss reinforced the urgent need for mental health support in the first responder community and strengthened our commitment to making a difference. 

Because she never wants cost to be the barrier to this training being delivered, Tina offers the class for free to first responder agencies within a two hour drive of where she lives (Texarkana, Arkansas). For other agencies, she simply asks to be reimbursed for travel costs. 

Join Our Movement

Whether you’re looking to:

• Bring mental health awareness training to your department
• Become a trainer of this class through our train-the-trainer course
• Partner in supporting first responder mental health
• Learn more about our programs

We’re here to help create lasting change in emergency services culture.

Because no one should have to carry their weight alone.

If you or someone you know is struggling, call 988 or your local crisis line. You matter.