2/3 of FDNY firefighters, EMTs who worked at WTC site have long-term illness: Report
ABC 7 News
By Eyewitness News
September 7, 2021
NEW YORK (WABC) -- Twenty years after the terror attacks of Sept. 11, more than two-thirds of New York City firefighters and EMTs who responded to the World Trade Center that day or worked on the pile of toxic wreckage have some kind of long-term illness, according to the latest snapshot of FDNY health released Wednesday.
Nearly 16,000 FDNY members were exposed to dust, particulates, noxious gases, chemicals, and fibers while working for more than 10 months in the rescue and recovery effort.
More than 11,300 of them have been diagnosed and certified with at least one WTC-covered condition for physical or mental health, from asthma and reflux to PTSD and cancer, the report from the FDNY World Trade Center Health Program said.
"This intense environmental exposure is directly related to many of the symptoms and illnesses," the report said. read more here
'Eyewitness to 9/11: Behind the Lens' reveals untold stories, rare video of America's darkest day
On the 20th anniversary of 9/11, we hear from the Eyewitness News journalists who were there, in the streets, in the air, and in the newsroom, reporting on the events as the tragedy unfolded, capturing the unforgettable video of that day, and risking their lives to tell the world what was happening.
Strong, brave and traumatized: Upstate SC first responders often haunted by what they see
The Greenville News Liv Osby April 1, 2019
James Kaiser loved being a paramedic.
It’s all he ever wanted to do.
At 49, he’d been helping people for nearly three decades, shocking a heart attack victim back to life or stanching the bleeding wounds of a teenager who crashed his car into a tree, and keeping them alive in the ambulance until they could reach the hospital.
Then one February night in 2016, after preparing a special meal for his family, he walked out into the front yard, put his gun to his head, and took his own life.
“He had not been diagnosed with PTSD,” his wife, Sheila Kaiser, told The Greenville News.
“But I know from living with him ... that he did suffer from it.”
Strong and courageous James Kaiser is among an alarming number of first responders contemplating and dying by suicide.
Of 4,022 EMS staffers and firefighters responding to a 2015 survey, 37 percent had contemplated suicide and 6.6 percent had attempted to take their own lives, according to research published in the Journal of Emergency Medical Services. read more here This may help explain the difference between civilians with PTSD and the responders who try to save their lives every day.
Grieving does not mean you are weak...it means you are human. While you are heroic, you are not superhuman and the way you may think things could have turned out differently, the events were not scripted and it was not a movie where the director allows the impossible to be possible.
Kevin Davison’s song lives on: Canaan man performs for paramedics, nominated for Nashville award Kings County Advertiser Register
Wendy Eilliott
May 27, 2016
CANAAN - During a Halifax ceremony May 24, country music singer and paramedic Kevin Davidson performed his song When Those Sirens Are Gone. It could soon be an award winner.
Kevin Davison performs May 24 at the Emergency Health Services long term service award ceremony in Halifax.
The Canaan resident was one of 10 Emergency Health Services staff members from the Valley region who were recognized for their service.
"When Nova Scotians need urgent medical care, paramedics, nurses and medical communications officers with Emergency Health Services are there to help," said Health and Wellness Minister Leo Glavine.
"They have the training and experience to respond in emergencies and save lives. More and more, they are also working in collaborative health-care teams to improve the care we offer in communities. We are all grateful for their expertise."
The list of long service award recipients is long. The 20-year recipients from Kings County included Davison, Bruce Cruickshank of Canning, Christopher Renaud of Kingston; Rob Merchant of Hantsport; Scott Veinot of Middleton and Karen Cress and Richard Foster of Annapolis Royal.
Jay Marshall of Bridgetown and Paul Dawson of Port Williams were 25-year recipients, while Brian Bunch of Wolfville was a 30-year recipient.
read more here
"We ain't super heroes. We're ordinary men trying to make a difference."
Published on Nov 19, 2014 A song I wrote along with Doug Folkins honouring all First Responders and the painful reality of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Let's get this out to everyone who may be affected or has a loved one at risk of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Let this be our Anthem!'
If you like the song please go to www.ellentube.com and watch it again on that site. We are trying to get Ellen to notice so we can bring even more attention to this serious issue! Just search "When Those Sirens Are Gone" once you get to the site.
Thank you so much to everyone that has viewed the video.
Paying the Price for Saving Lives- Part 2
Local EMT opens up about her struggles with PTSD
News8000.com
Author: Mike Thompson
Published On: Jun 03 2015
"I'm with people at the worst moment of their life, most of the time."
CAMP DOUGLAS, Wis. (WKBT)
A walk through the woods with camera in hand, takes Stephanie Forrer Harbridge to a place of peace and quiet.
It takes her away from the noise that often clouds her thoughts.
"Some days I feel like I take 5 steps ahead and sometimes I feel like I take 20 steps back."
She uses photography as an escape that helps replace the haunting images of her day job with those of nature's beauty. "Just to go to someplace else," says Stephanie.
"It's like I've got an actual tangible thing that I can picture in my head when I start to think about stuff I don't want to think about."
When she's not snapping photos, Stephanie is saving lives as an EMT with Camp Douglas Rescue. "I'm with people at the worst moment of their life, most of the time."
"I've had some, a couple of really bad calls, one that's affected me quite a bit. I'll never forget it."
It was the week before Christmas a few years back and there was a terrible snow storm and glare ice on the interstate.
Two kids heading home for the holidays were involved in a horrific crash. Stephanie remembers her patient like it was yesterday.
"I had to hold her face together and she was the same age as my daughter was at the time. They told them she had passed and I heard her mom scream on the phone, I never want to hear that again."
read more here
EMT Sounds Alarm About PTSD Written for the Web by CBS4 Special Projects Producer Libby Smith Reporting Dr. Dave Hnida AURORA, Colo. (CBS4)
Lights and sirens are a sure sign that tragedy has struck. In many cases it's the first responders that get the worst shock.
"If you come upon a scene where people's bodies are maimed, you feel a sense of tremendous horror; and often times helplessness, especially if there is a family member standing by begging you to save their loved one," said Dr. Neil Weiner, Director of Clinical Services at the Depression Center at the University of Colorado Denver.
Michael Ferrara is a first responder in the mountains. During his 28-year career he's seen a lot of horror and he says it's taken a heavy toll.
"I had what I was calling slide shows in my head. Hundreds and hundreds of slides that would run in my head of pictures of horrible, horrible things," Ferrara told CBS4.
"Because these images of the trauma are imprinted so much on their minds, they develop flash backs, intrusive recollections and nightmares that really keep the trauma alive," Weiner added.
Man dies after EMTs suggest antacids
Authorities investigate emergency workers who misdiagnosed a man's heart attack for acid reflux. WJLA reports.
This one hits close to home. My brother died less than a week after he got laid off of a heart attack. He didn't feel well but didn't want to go to the doctors. He had a job interview coming up and didn't want to go to hospital because he would miss the interview. He died. My father, well we were constantly watching for him to need help and he always asked for it. He always got great care until the night he died. His heart just gave out. He was gone by the time the ambulance arrived. They got his heart to start again but it stopped for the last time.
The man who just died did what he was supposed to do. The family did what they were supposed to do. They called for help. Something was missed and they let him down.
Tarpon fire chief seeks 15 more firefighters and gets one
By Rita Farlow, Times Staff Writer
In print: Thursday, September 4, 2008
TARPON SPRINGS — During a recent budget workshop, fire Chief Stephen R.M. Moreno told city commissioners it would take an additional 15 firefighters to bring the city's department up to the recommended staffing level.
On Tuesday, they gave him one.
The board agreed to open a frozen position, which will bring the number of firefighter/EMTs to 33, or 11 per shift, without factoring in vacations and sick time.
Members also okayed overtime pay to add another firefighter on each shift during periods of peak activity.
The decision is a move in the right direction, said Moreno, who took over the department's top post late in 2005.
"It is a 25-year-old problem and you can't solve it overnight," Moreno said.
The Fire Department has had the same number of firefighters since 1983, Moreno said.
