Song for First Responders PTSD Winner ECM

Powerful music video earns Kevin Davison first ECMA win

Kings County News
Ashley Thompson
Updated: 5 hours ago

Tribute to First Responders - Official Music Video by Kevin Davison

KENTVILLE - Kevin Davison’s gripping music video offering a glimpse into the harrowing jobs of first responders has earned the local country crooner his first ECMA win.

Davison was nearly in a state of disbelief as he walked up to the stage at the East Coast Music Awards ceremony in Halifax May 6 to collect the hardware reserved for Video of the Year winner. “I was totally shocked,” he said in a brief phone interview May 7.

“I literally didn’t even have anything written down.”

A paramedic and volunteer firefighter hailing from Kentville, Davison was nominated for the video for When Those Sirens Are Gone – an anthem for first responders that has been heard throughout the world.

The video, directed by David Pichette, earned Davison a nomination in a category contested by some of the best in the business: Heather Rankin, Ria Mae, Rose Cousins and Wordburglar.
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Kevin Davison won his first East Coast Music Award May 6 as the successful nominee in the highly contested Video of the Year category.

Davison released a rough video of him performing "When Those Sirens Are Gone" on Facebook. What was meant as a message to his fellow colleagues that they were not alone in their struggles with PTSD, in just 3 months, has not only raised awareness but has caught the attention of hundreds of thousands on social media around the globe. 

Save a firefighter in your own house

Superior mayor announces cause of fire battalion chief's death
Duluth News Tribune
By Lisa Kaczke
Apr 24, 2018

A Superior Fire Department battalion chief who retired just a few weeks ago died on April 18 after "a long and brave struggle" with mental illness, Mayor Jim Paine said on Tuesday.

Erik Sutton, 46, who had served on the Superior Fire Department for 20 years, took his own life, Paine said. Sutton had sought and received care prior to his death. Paine said he has offered his condolences and support to the fire department leadership and Sutton's mother.

"We have all agreed that while the price of his service was too high, none of us will allow his death to pass in vain," Paine said in a statement. "We will put his memory to work for our bravest civil servants as diligently as he put his own life to work for all of us and commit ourselves to ensuring that every firefighter and police officer in our service not only has full access to the care that they need, but that they feel the support to seek care when necessary."
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But he is not the first.

Local firefighter’s widow mission to save lives, numbers show firefighter suicide rising

On October 15, 2016, fallen Indian River County Fire Chief David Dangerfield said goodbye to his wife on the phone first, and then on Facebook.

After a 27-year career, Chief Dangerfield wrote in his suicide post that it was due to PTSD on the job. He posted on Facebook:

"PTSD for Firefights is real. If your loved one is experiencing signs get them help quickly. 27 years of death and babies dying in your hands is a memory that you will never get rid off. It haunted me daily until now. My love to my crews. Be safe, take care. I love you all."

This was released last month.
81 Percent of firefighters fear they will be seen as weak

The survey also found that 81 percent of firefighters fear they will be seen as weak or unfit for duty if they talk about the emotional toll of their job, and 87 percent said it keeps them from getting the help they need.

When it comes to saving lives, you need to begin in your own house to see who is in danger at the fire station.

Fire officials are sounding the alarm about PTSD,

Minnesota firefighters grapple with 'silent epidemic' of PTSD
Star Tribune
By Hannah Covington
APRIL 18, 2018

Fire officials are sounding the alarm about PTSD, suicide trends.

The nightmares still sometimes rouse Brian Cristofono from sleep.

ELIZABETH FLORES – STAR TRIBUNE
Gallery: Brian Cristofono spoke with firefighters from the Brooklyn Center Fire Department after he gave a presentation on his PTSD, Monday, March 26, 2018 in Plymouth, MN. Traumas from being a firefighter, the one he dreamed of as a kid, led to a severe PTSD diagnosis, costing him both his marriage and his work. In his 13 years on the job, three colleagues killed themselves. Twice he put a gun to his own head. Now, Cristofono is sharing his story about the plight firefighters face and the lack of job coverage for those who suffer from PTSD in Minnesota. Nationwide, firefighters are more likely to take their own lives than die in the line of duty. Like other first responders, they're more than twice as likely to commit suicide than the general population. In Minnesota, momentum is slowly building to address these troubling trends, with Cristofono as a leading voice.

Even now, nearly two years after the last calls for help came in, ghosts from his days as a firefighter and paramedic are tough to shake. Babies he couldn’t save. Parents he struggled to comfort. Crash victims beyond reviving.

“They leave scars,” said Cristofono, 42. “The job can really just be a dark look at life.”

Traumas from his job — the one he dreamed of getting as a kid — led to a severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis, costing him his marriage and causing him to retire from the St. Paul fire department in 2017. During his 13 years on the job with various departments, three colleagues killed themselves. Twice, Cristofono put a gun to his own head.

Researchers estimate that anywhere from 7 to 37 percent of firefighters have PTSD. A study from Florida State University found that nearly half of firefighters have had suicidal thoughts and that about 1 in 5 have made plans to take their own lives.
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Yoga, Goats and Disabled Firefighter Battle PTSD

Yoga instructor, entrepreneur shares road to recovery after traumatic injury and PTSD
KTLV News
by Genevieve Grippo
April 14th 2018

"You go from hero to zero," said Aversa. "It's devastating."

CENTRAL POINT — The goat yoga craze hit the Rogue Valley on Saturday, but the four-legged guests weren't the only special thing about the session.

The session's instructor, Drew Aversa, is no ordinary yoga teacher. He comes from a background of inspirational recovery after suffering from a traumatic injury and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

"So many people are going through that today, and I wish they could just find yoga and get rid of ego, get rid of whatever stigma they have attached to this 3,000 year old practice that has continuously healed people," said Aversa.

The SOU grad started his working career as a firefighter in California, but a traumatic injury left him confined to a wheelchair.

"Yoga allows the mind and body to connect. It allows people to come together, it allows that pause in our day-to-day life to just be," he said.
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Florida First Responders Covered for PTSD!

Gov. Scott in Tampa today to sign first responder bill 
WFLA News 
Avery Cotton 
March 27, 2018 

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) - Governor Rick Scott will be in Tampa today to sign a bill into law that aims to help Florida first responders who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. 

Florida lawmakers passed the bill extending workers' compensation benefits for first responders to include treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. 

The Florida House of Representatives voted unanimously for the legislation (SB 376) . 

Lawmakers have heard stories of firefighters and police officers who have taken their own lives or can no longer do their jobs because of repeated exposure to horrific deaths and tragedies, but they don't have benefits that include treatment for PTSD. 

Right now workers' compensation benefits only cover physical injuries. read more here

Florida First Responders PTSD Bill Being Signed Tuesday!

Gov. Scott to sign PTSD legislation into law at Tampa Firefighter Museum
ClickOrlando.com
By Mike Holfeld - Investigative Reporter
March 26, 2018

News 6 will join first responders, their families for special ceremony

Gov. Rick Scott will sign legislation Tuesday that will provide first responders with wage compensation as they receive treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Senate Bill 376, approved unanimously by both the Senate and the House, will provide workers compensation benefits, “Providing that, under certain circumstances, post-traumatic stress disorder suffered by a first responder is an occupational disease compensable by workers’ compensation benefits.”

The new law eliminates the mandate that a physical injury must accompany the PTSD diagnosis.

During a special ceremony honoring state fire fighters in Tallahassee earlier this month, Scott took a moment to honor first responders lost in the line of duty and to PTSD.

“I want to thank all firefighters for the sacrifices they make,” he said. “I intend to sign it (SB 376) as soon as it reaches my desk.”

Scott and Chief Financial Officer/State Fire Marshall Jimmy Patronis will join dozens of first responders and their families at a special bill signing ceremony Tuesday afternoon at the Tampa Firefighter Museum.

In an exclusive interview, Patronis said the stories covered by News 6 along with his meeting with first responders and their families, inspired him to make the PTSD law his top priority.

“Suicide in that profession is five times higher than the rest of the United States. I hate that those sacrifices had to take place in order to bring this issue to light,” he said.

Jessica Realin, wife of Pulse first responder Gerry Realin, has been an instrumental force in pushing for PTSD legislation.
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PTSD: 81 percent of firefighters fear they will be seen as weak or unfit for duty

Firefighters, including Detroit crews, suffer from PTSD, other mental health issues as result of job
95 percent say they experience critical stress while working
Click On Detriot
By Karen Drew - Reporter/Anchor, Amber Ainsworth
March 15, 2018

The survey also found that 81 percent of firefighters fear they will be seen as weak or unfit for duty if they talk about the emotional toll of their job, and 87 percent said it keeps them from getting the help they need.

DETROIT - A survey conducted by NBC New York and the International Association of Firefighters found that firefighters are battling more than just fires.

Firefighters struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health issues.

"We suffer from the same challenges the general public does -- financial issues, marital issues. Now you compound that with the horror that we see every day, day in and day out. It adds up and eventually takes its toll," Jim Brinkely of the International Association of Firefighters said.

Ninety-five percent of the 7,000 surveyed said they experience critical stress on the job, and three quarters of the the firefighters said it leaves them with unresolved issues. Many of them, 71 percent, have trouble sleeping, and 65 percent of them are constantly haunted by bad memories.

"We're no different than someone on the battlefield [with] the death and the destruction that we witness," Derrick Foxhall, a 20-year-veteran of the Detroit Fire Department, said.
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Gov. Rick Scott to sign PTSD Benefits Bill for first responders

Gov. Rick Scott declared this day Florida Firefighters Appreciation Day and urged the community to thank first responders. Gov. Scott also announced he will sign a PTSD Benefits Bill. It's a continuation of the state's support of first responders and their families. It will ensure those firefighters suffering from PTSD will receive workers’ compensation benefits.

"It's a hidden killer in the profession. This benefit is needed so we ensure our firefighters don't have... their only option, our first responders don't look to suicide as the outlet to sort through the demons they deal with and these horrific images," said Chief Financial Officer, Jimmy Patronis. 
By: Erika Fernandez | WCTV Eyewitness News
March 7, 2018
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Firefighters getting PTSD peer-support and stigma out of the way

Survey: Firefighters Struggling With Mental Health and PTSD
NECN
By Karen Hensel
Feb 28, 2018

“You guys all signed up for PTS, that’s what you did when you became a firefighter," Lavoie cautions. "You’re not going to get out of this without some level of PTS.”

They don’t want it to get to “the disorder part of it,” meaning PTSD. It’s why the Worcester Fire Department agreed to share their message with NBC 10 Boston Investigators

Firefighters across the country and in Massachusetts are struggling with mental health issues and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to a study where NBC-owned stations partnered with the International Association of Firefighters to anonymously survey firefighters.

The groundbreaking survey gives insight into the everyday challenges facing firefighters.

Long-time Worcester, Massachusetts firefighters talked openly with the NBC10 Boston Investigators about the 1999 Cold Storage Warehouse fire, a subject which few have spoken about publicly. That is part of the issue and now, 18 years later, they face it head-on.

The Parkland, Florida school shooting had the nation gripped with emotions of grief and anger. The focus was initially on the families of the 17 killed and the mental health of the shooter. Unseen was the emotional toll on first responders.
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After firefighter suicide, advocates call for action on PTSD

Advocates push for PTSD recognition after local firefighter takes her own life
By: KIRO 7 News Staff
Updated: Feb 23, 2018

Advocates for local first responders are pushing for new legislation to protect firefighters who suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

It’s something Heather Murphy knows about all too well.

Her wife, navy veteran and Lacey firefighter Crystal Murphy took her own life on Christmas Day in 2017.

“This would have never happened if it were not for her job and those calls,” Murphy said. “She may have not been on shift, but her mind was always on shift.”

While hundreds of Crystal’s fellow firefighters attended her funeral where she received full honors, her death is not considered a line-of-duty death.

That means, her family will not collect line of duty death benefits.

Coming up at 5, KIRO 7 goes in-depth on the local fight to recognize a condition other states cover, but we don't.
go here for that update

update on what just happened in Arizona

Arizona bill helps first responders get compensation, therapy for PTSD

How S.C. first responders are trying to save their own

Firefighter suicides outnumber line-of-duty deaths. How S.C. first responders are trying to save their own.
The Post and Courier
Angie Jackson
February 18, 2018

Suicides such as Emily Avin’s were once overlooked by firefighters and paramedics eager to maintain an image of bravery and invincibility. But that’s changing as the profession acknowledges a deadly scourge that claims more lives than the perils firefighters face in the line of duty.

Emily Avin was supposed to come home that day in September.

Her parents had arranged it: Avin would move back into their country home in the small Florence County town of Pamplico, where she grew up playing softball and cheering for her high school football team as the mascot. It would be a break, for a month or so, from her job as a paramedic, a career the young woman loved but now found emotionally draining.

She worked one last 24-hour shift in Aiken. Afterward, instead of driving across the state, Avin called her mother upset.

Sue Ann Avin detected hopelessness in her daughter’s voice.

“Emily, you’re not thinking about doing anything to hurt yourself, are you?”

Later that morning, Emily Avin called 911 from her home in Aiken to report a suicide.

She then picked up a gun, walked outside and pulled the trigger before anyone could reach her. She was 26.
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UK: Firefighter's Book Falling Through Fire and PTSD

Former London firefighter 'floored' by trauma of job encourages others to seek help
Get West London
By Rachael Bletchly and Frederica Miller
26 JAN 2018

"As professional firefighters, we weren’t expected to show our feelings; it was just our job. I was 25 and had my whole life and career ahead of me. But what happened to Gordon floored me. I felt like a failure." Clifford Thompson

A former London firefighter has opened up about how his dream job spiralled into a nightmare when years of trauma finally caught up with him.

Clifford Thompson opened up about the emotional toll of firefighting  (Image: CLAUDINE HARTZEL)

Now a BBC journalist, Clifford Thompson was a London Fire Brigade officer for half a decade.

From 1987 to 1992 he tackled some of the capital's most devastating events, including the King's Cross tube tragedy and the Clapham rail crash.

But after five years in the brigade, Cliff's world collapsed when he watched a three-year-old boy he rescued from a house fire die before his eyes.
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Canada:Firefighter treated for PTSD and seizures

Fort McMurray firefighter battling little-known condition brought on by extreme trauma
Doctors accused Nathan Koops of faking his seizures before it was finally diagnosed as PNES
CBC News
By David Thurton
Posted: Jan 19, 2018

Nathan Koops would convulse violently in front of his wife, their five-year-old son and newborn daughter.

One seizure struck while Koops was walking home with son Owen from the grocery store. It left him paralyzed on the sidewalk as Owen ran home to get help.

"Everything in my body wanted to move inwards," Koops said. "My arm would move in. My arm would curl in and the muscles would contract. My leg would do the same thing. My body would arch. And it felt like it would be pushed past its bounds."

Along with these sudden seizures, Koops had begun to be tormented by panic attacks, night terrors and head jerks.

The 32-year-old was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) but a therapist suspected he also suffered from a condition not known to many professionals — PNES, or psychogenic non-epileptic seizures.
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Florida First Responders example of wrong way PTSD crash!

Will Florida do the right thing for our First Responders...finally? If we do not acknowledge that this is a wound that comes with the job, then our veterans will think Florida feels the same way about them.

It is a simple question. Do we value those who risk their lives for us or not?

With emotion, legislators and relatives of late firefighters push PTSD bill

Florida Politics

Danny Mculiffe

January 16, 2018

“The numbers don’t lie,” Jimmy Patronis, Florida’s chief financial officer and state marshal said. He cited research from 2015 that showed 15 percent of firefighters had made at least one attempt at suicide during their career, while 46 percent of firefighters had thought about taking their lives.

“Recovering a toddler’s body from the river, pulling bodies from a car that ended up in a canal and carrying a decapitated teen’s body across the sand who was the victim of a shark attack would certainly take a toll on anyone,” Leslie Dangerfield said behind teary eyes.

She was describing the atrocities her husband, Indian River Battalion Chief David Dangerfield, had witnessed before he ultimately took his life. Leading up to her husband’s suicide, Leslie Dangerfield said his behavior had changed. He had succumbed to the “beast of PTSD,” or post-traumatic stress disorder.

Leslie Dangerfield told her story during a press conference Wednesday aiming to alert the public on bills in the Legislature this year that would provide workers’ compensation for first responders suffering from PTSD.

Currently, workers’ compensation laws do not provide for benefits in cases of first responders suffering from mental health-related injuries, unless they are accompanied by physical injury.

The issue has permeated the judiciary branch. 

Compensation Judge Neal Pitts denied workers’ compensation for former Orlando Police officer Gerry Realin last week. Realin responded to the Pulse nightclub shooting, which left 49 massacred and 58 others injured in June 2016.
read more here 

PTSD Expert Responds to Firefighters in Palm Beach

Palm Beach Fire Rescue hosts national firefighter PTSD expert for training course

WPTV 5 News

Amy Lipman

January 12, 2018

"Silence often surrounds the emotions that come with constantly witnessing tragedy."

PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. - More firefighters committed suicide in the U.S. than died in the line of duty in 2015 and 2016, according to the Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance. That group’s founder is part of a movement to try to change those statistics.

“Saying that we’re supposed to be strong and brave and handle it ourselves, it’s impossible to do," said Jeff Dill, founder and CEO of FBHA.

Palm Beach Fire Rescue firefighters along with members of other departments around the area sat in on training sessions with Dill. 

Years of research has gone into the course he around the country, but Indian River County Battalion Chief David Dangerfield is the reason he came to South Florida to talk about it. Dangerfield suffered from PTSD and committed suicide in October 2016. Dangerfield’s wife, Leslie, set up the training.

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Fire Chief David Dangerfield's Widow Fights Against Suicides

Leslie Dangerfield could have settled for just talking about firefighters risking their lives to save others, but ended up taking their own lives, but she didn't. She could have settled for putting it all behind her, but she didn't.

There are many things she could have done but giving up and moving on was not among them.

The thing is, Leslie Dangerfield decided to bring in some help for other firefighters. This way, they will get support, to not just ask for help, but know where to get it, and change the outcome from suicide to healing.

Palm Beach Fire Rescue to hold PTSD training

WPTV News

Amy Lipman

January 3, 2017

Next week, she's helping to bring the founder of Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance, Jeff Bill, to Palm Beach Fire Rescue for training sessions on the signs of PTSD.

PALM BEACH, Fla. - Firefighters put their lives on the line every day, but the cumulation of those horrifying experiences can result in PTSD, causing some to ultimately commit suicide.

Indian River County Battalion Chief David Dangerfield took his own life in October 2016. 

“He said, 'I can’t do it anymore. The memories are too much. They’re haunting me and I can’t let them haunt me anymore,'" said Leslie Dangerfield, his wife.

David had been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder.

"He began a downward spiral with really irrational behavior, frightening behavior," Leslie said.

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Local firefighter’s widow mission to save lives, numbers show firefighter suicide rising
CBS 12 News
Liz Ortiz

Suicide among firefighters outpaces deaths in the line of duty by about 40%. Dangerfield said expanding their benefits could reduce those numbers.

PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. (CBS 12) — 

Only on CBS12: They put their lives in jeopardy to keep us all safe, but the stress they take home is killing them.

Numbers show firefighters and EMS suicides are on the rise.

A local widow is on a mission to change that and is taking her fight all the way to our state capital.

It was a phone call that changed Leslie Dangerfield’s life forever.

“He said, just know that I love you, you’re a good mom, and take care of our boys.”

On October 15, 2016, fallen Indian River County Fire Chief David Dangerfield said goodbye to his wife on the phone first, and then on Facebook.

After a 27-year career, Chief Dangerfield wrote in his suicide post that it was due to PTSD on the job. He posted on Facebook:

"PTSD for Firefights is real. If your loved one is experiencing signs get them help quickly. 27 years of death and babies dying in your hands is a memory that you will never get rid off. It haunted me daily until now. My love to my crews. Be safe, take care. I love you all."

U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) confirmed in 2016, 89 firefighters deaths in the line of duty were recorded, and 130 committed suicide.

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Firefighters Helping Others Help Themselves Heal PTSD

Firefighters who’ve developed PTSD helping others learn to help themselves
Washington Post
Lynh Bui
December 28, 2017

“We’re showing up at everybody’s worst day, in a lot of cases. It’s not just part of our job — we want to do it. But how can we get to retirement and have a life after the fire service that’s not traumatized by what we did?”
Patrick Morrison

“You don’t come out perfect,” Eric Fessenden said, but you learn how to cope. A former Montgomery County firefighter, Fessenden attended the nation’s only in-patient facility designed to treat firefighters with PTSD. (Doug Kapustin/For The Washington Post)

After a 24-year career in the fire service, Eric Fessenden has a memory bank of the grisly calls he answered. He’s pulled bloated bodies out of rivers, treated victims of the D.C.-area Beltway Sniper attacks, and extracted the dead and the mangled from car wrecks.

Staying busy at work allowed the Montgomery County firefighter to put aside the emotional burdens of his job, but after an injury forced him to retire, he often found himself inexplicably anxious and angry. He woke up shaking in the middle of the night soaked in sweat. And the hikes he looked forward to each week with family members would end miserably when he inevitably snapped at them during the outings.

Fessenden, 48, thought that he suffered from post-traumatic stress. It wasn’t until recently he learned it was that — and more.

First responders witness trauma not only from everyday events such as car crashes and house fires, said Patrick Morrison, assistant general president for health, safety and medicine of the International Association of Fire ­Fighters. They’re also answering extraordinarily difficult mass-casualty calls, such as the Mandalay Bay shooting that killed 58 in Las Vegas, the Ghost Ship warehouse fire that killed 36 in Oakland, Calif., and devastating natural disasters such as Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria.
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Full Honors for Firefighter

Richmond firefighter who died of work-related PTSD to get full-honours funeral

Global News

Jon Azpiri

December 17, 2017

Parker hopes that the memorial will pay homage to Kongus’ contributions to the community and raise awareness of the issue of PTSD in first responders.

Hundreds of firefighters and other first responders from across the country will gather in Richmond on Monday to honour a firefighter who died of work-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Capt. Donald “Bryan” Kongus, 44, died in August. IAFF Local 1286, the Richmond firefighters’ union, and his family asked to delay his memorial until WorkSafeBC could determine what caused his death.

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Deeper Problem When Life Savers Commit Suicide

First Responders Should Never Be Last Lives Saved
Combat PTSD Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
December 9, 2017

We can talk all we want about "suicide awareness" but when we're talking about men and women, valuing the lives of others so much, they are willing to die for strangers, dying by choice should never happen.

That is the point to all of this, or at least it should be. Whenever you read statistics about civilians committing suicide, it is vital to consider that those who serve the rest of us, are just as human as the rest of us. Now try to imagine those humans ready to face the day knowing it could be their last one on their job, and on this earth.

None of this is new.

"For many first responders, post-traumatic stress disorder is becoming part of the job." 

"Becoming part of the job" is what this article implies. The trouble is, when you look at the research on the link, it is clear, PTSD has been part of the job for a very long time.

In the wake of suicide: Developing guidelines for suicide postvention in fire service

Because of the nature of the job, many of the 1.1 million firefighters in the United States are routinely exposed to high levels of traumatic and occupational stress (Beaton and Murphy, 1993; Haynes and Stein, 2014; Kimbrel et al., 2011), both of which are associated with mental health problems such as PTSD, alcohol use, and depression (e.g., Byrne and Espnes, 2008; Corneil, Beaton, Murphy, Johnson, and Pike, 1999; Kimbrel et al., 2011; Murphy, Beaton, Pike, and Johnson, 1999; North et al., 2002; Tak, Driscoll, Bernard, and West, 2007). Of most relevance to the current project is that these disorders are associated with increased risk for suicide (e.g., Cougle, Keough, Riccardi, and Sachs-Ericsson, 2009; Kessler, Borges, and Walters, 1999; Nock et al., 2009). Thus, the stresses of the job and frequency of these high-risk disorders among emergency responders has led to the rising concern about suicide in fire service (Armstrong, 2014; Dill and Lowe, 2012; Finney et al., 2015; Gliha, 2010; Miller, 2015; Peluso, 2010).

Shouldn't we be asking why they are not taken care of after all these years? We depend on them being there when we need them. When exactly do we show up when they need us?

First Responders, Families Fight For PTSD Coverage Under Workers Comp

WFSU By KATE PAYNE • 12 HOURS AGO

Credit Ariel Dovas via flickr

First responders run towards crashes, emergencies and catastrophes, not away from them. And for some, their experiences are leading to post traumatic stress disorder. But in Florida, first responders who develop PTSD on the job don’t get compensated, unless they have a physical injury as well. Now there are efforts at the statehouse to change that. A note to listeners, the following story includes frank discussion of death and suicide. 
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Florida First Responders Fighting PTSD Comp

Florida bills could allow first responders to get workers' comp for PTSD

WPTV 5 News

Amy Lipman

December 2, 2017

"I started to withdraw from family, friends," Wallwork said. "Further and further from any social interaction. Hyper vigilance. I was always worried about bad things happening."Wallwork has worked in fire rescue for 28 years. He was diagnosed with PTSD two years ago.

PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. - First responders run toward danger, risk their lives and witness tragedy first-hand, but if all of that results in mental distress, they can't get workers' compensation for it under current Florida law.

“We see things that you can only imagine in a movie and then we’re expected to get right back on the truck, go to the next call without time to process it," said Pete Wallwork, who suffers from PTSD as a result of his career as a firefighter.

read more here