Fighting For Benefits
County officials and firefighters clash at an emotional public meeting.
By David Schultz
October 16, 2007
Mike Staples did everything he could.
The president of the local firefighters union tried doggedly to secure mental health treatment for one of his fellow firefighters who was suffering from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder after his involvement in the 9/11 rescue effort. But Staples said that he was blocked at every turn by overzealous county employees who were trying to deny benefits to the troubled firefighter.
"It drove him into a deep state of helplessness and depression," he recalled.
Staples’ efforts came to a tragic end when the firefighter, whose family requested that his name not be divulged, took his own life in March of 2006. Staples had been in constant contact with the firefighter, who was forced to retire in his late 30s due to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and said that he spoke to him just days before he hung himself.
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