How is it that for people in a profession that demands they ask questions all the time, find it so hard to ask other officers if they need backup?
Talking openly about police suicide is an important and long-overdue first step
The Washington Post By Karen Tumulty Columnist April 4, 2019 NEW YORK
“There’s already enough tragedy in what we do.” Bringing it out of the shadows is an important first step, long overdue, and one that could help save the lives of those in whom we trust our own."
This week, there was an extraordinary gathering in an auditorium on the ground floor of the New York Police Department headquarters in Lower Manhattan. In that one room sat more than 300 police chiefs and other law enforcement officials from across the country and as far away as Australia and Northern Ireland.
They were there to discuss a leading cop killer: suicide. For eight hours, they took a raw and honest look at both the forces that drive officers to this most desperate of acts and the dilemmas they face in dealing with it.
“We do so much for everybody else. Very rarely do we talk about ourselves,” NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill said. “Nobody wants to take a step forward. Nobody wants to be branded, and we have to get past that.”
Suicide is a long-standing problem in police work, claiming more first responders each year than the number who die in the line of duty. University at Buffalo epidemiology professor John Violanti, a former New York state trooper who has studied the problem for decades, says the latest numbers collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate the risk of suicide for police officers could be 54 percent higher than it is for the population at large.
But Fairfax Police Chief Edwin C. Roessler Jr. realized that he would have to do more than that, something that took courage. He began sharing with his officers his own struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder. “It’s okay to not be okay. I, the chief, seek help. I see a doctor once or twice a month to keep myself well,” he told me.
Riccio choked up as he told of a female officer who showed up for roll call, then went out to her patrol car to take her life. North Miami just experienced its first officer suicide in three decades.
Young ex-Marine gets within hours of planned suicide, social media helps save him
KATU News by Genevieve Reaume March 28th 2019
For Austin, the year following his planned attempt would be filled with both hardships and happiness. He says he was diagnosed with PTSD because of the trauma, as well as depression and anxiety. He ended up getting a tattoo of that near-fateful date on his forearm.
KELSO, Wash. — A young ex-Marine came within hours of taking his own life, but a last-minute plea on social media helped save him.
Austin Kaster is 23 years old. It’s been just over a year since his suicide plan shattered and his life truly changed.
"I'm not going to forget it, but if by the weird chance that I do, I can just look down at my arm and be like, ‘OK, this is what I accomplished. This is what I overcame,’” Austin said, describing the tattoo, which also includes the barcode from the hospital band he got that night.
“You’re taught, ‘Hey, just suck it up. Keep going.’ You know, head down, just push on through. But it got to a point where it was like, OK, it’s either this or I’m going to wind up taking my own life,” Austin said, describing the tough moments while serving at Camp Pendleton that led him to reach out for help.
read more here
"We just wear our scars on the outside": Band of wounded warriors healing through music
CBS NEWS By DAVID MARTIN March 25, 2019
"There's something about it, that just, the motivation, the drive, the just the soul of it. It doesn't feel it can go anywhere but up," Donley said.
Bethel, Pa. — In a house in the woods in the middle of Pennsylvania, some of the most important music in America is being played by a band called The Resilient. But you don't need to be a music critic to say that. All you have to do is look.
Nate Kalwicki on guitar lost his right leg in Afghanistan. Marcus D'Andrea on bass lost both legs. So did lead vocalist Tim Donley. Juan Dominguez lost both legs and an arm, yet somehow plays the drums with a special pedal and drum stick. He's not some novelty act.
"I am a drummer. I am the drummer for The Resilient and we're gonna do big things," Dominquez said.
The only member of The Resilient with all his body parts is Greg Loman, a professional musician who met the others in their darkest hour, searching for a purpose in life while recovering from their wounds.
"Through the recovery we all discovered this really intense passion for honest musicianship and they've all gotten so good," Loman said. read more here
WHAT KILLS FIRST RESPONDERS: Efforts underway to combat deadly stress of emergency work
Idaho State Journal John O'Connor March 23, 2019
They convinced Hale, who is a U.S. Navy veteran, to seek treatment and Moldenhauer personally drove him to a Veterans Administration therapy and rehabilitation program in Salt Lake City. Hale later underwent additional mental health treatment at an International Association of Firefighters-affiliated rehabilitation center for emergency workers in Baltimore.
Pocatello Fire Department Capt. Andy Moldenhauer, pictured, recently received an award from the American Red Cross for helping paramedic Dustin Hale, who was suicidal, get help for his severe post-traumatic stress injury. Doug Lindley/Idaho State Journal
Dustin Hale sought to cope with the anguish he routinely encountered as a Pocatello Fire Department paramedic by mentally absorbing victims' pain and cramming it into his own psyche.
"Some of us, like myself, we take a lot of the pain and what the families and patients are feeling and try to take it away from them by taking it on ourselves," Hale explained.
After several years of treating trauma, Hale's inner turmoil boiled over, culminating last fall with him holding a gun to his own head. It's a story he's embarrassed to tell but shares publicly, hoping to convince first responders to be open about the extreme stress they experience and to seek help when needed.
It's a timely message. Four other members of the Pocatello Fire Department have sought help via a post-traumatic stress injury, or PTSI, rehabilitation program during the past year and a half, according to their local union leader. A cross section of department members also plan to take peer support training offered through their international union, during which they'll learn to identify colleagues with PTSI and take appropriate steps to help them.
Snake River Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 35 plans to bring in a renowned speaker on PTSI at 6 p.m. July 15 at the Blackfoot Performing Arts Center, 870 S. Fisher Ave. in Blackfoot.
The state has also taken recent action to address the problem of emergency service workers experiencing PTSI, passing a law on March 13 extending workers' compensation to cover the mental health condition for law enforcement officers, 911 dispatchers, firefighters and paramedics.
"There's no one who does the job that (stress) doesn't affect," Hale said. "Without the proper outlet and the proper care as far as mental health goes, sometimes that can turn into an actual injury. That's where PTSI comes in." read more here
Veterans talking veterans back from the brink: A new approach to policing and lives in crisis
The Washington Post By Rob Kuznia March 20, 2019
At its core is the belief that veterans are often best equipped to talk brethren back from the brink — and to guide them to services. Since the program’s launch in September, local law enforcement agencies answering such 911 calls have dispatched not only deputies or officers but also two-person teams from the Veterans Affairs hospital in Long Beach.
After a parking-lot consultation with Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies, Veterans Affairs social worker Shannon Teague gets ready to respond to a veteran showing signs of paranoia and other mental distress. (Allison Zaucha for The Washington Post)
The duos have responded to more than 125 emergencies. A Vietnam vet whose thoughts had become so bleak he’d hung a noose in his backyard.
LOS ANGELES — The former Army soldier was slumped in the back seat of a sheriff’s department squad car when Shannon Teague and Tyrone “T-bone” Anderson arrived on the scene. A couple of hours earlier, high on meth, he’d been yelling “you will die” from the front porch of a transition house for homeless veterans.
Teague made the introductions. Neither she nor Anderson wore a uniform, except for the patch on their jackets and the ID tags clipped to their shirts.
“I’m a social worker, and this is my partner, T-bone,” she told the man. “We are from the VA. You’re not in trouble.”
Encounters such as this one represent a new approach to dealing with veterans in crisis. Against the backdrop and heartache of their persistently high suicide rates, authorities are touting the Los Angeles County program as a breakthrough in policing that could save lives. read more here
Why is this still happening when someone with the authority should have invested time in understanding what PTSD is considering the men and women under him face the causes of it on a daily basis? Advocates have spent decades to educate everyone on what PTSD is, why they have it and what they can do to heal. We spent all these years to do that so that the stigma is proven stupid and so are jerks like this who feel it is OK to make a joke about a firefighter finding the courage to #BreakTheSilence and ask for help. Any kind of idea what kind of message this sends to the people they rescue who end up with PTSD as survivors too? At least the other firefighters made sure their "brother" got the help he asked for and the want to make sure the Chief is held accountable~
Firefighters call for Marion Fire Chief to step down after disconcerting comments
The Indy Channel News By: Nicole Griffin Mar 22, 2019
"He said, 'ha, we'll tell your family how good of a guy you were,'" Captain Lamb recalled. He said the chief then made a joke, referencing the death of another firefighter.
MARION —Firefighters at the Marion Fire Department said they are stunned about comments the fire chief reportedly made to a firefighter who confided in him about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms he was having. They are now asking the city's mayor to demote the fire chief, or for him to step down.
"It's probably the least common thing for someone to talk about it, to be honest with you," Captain Jordan Lamb, Marion Fire Department, and local union president, said.
Captain Lamb has been a part of the Marion Fire Department for 12 years. Day after day, he responds to difficult calls. He said every firefighter and EMT handles the emotions differently.
"I just try to keep it in and let it pass. Kids are the worse - especially since I have kids," Captain Lamb said. "I can see anything, but you put a kid out there it's going to affect me."
The department recently went through mandatory suicide awareness training. One firefighter came forward to the chief expressing his feelings of PTSD. It was the chief's response that has firefighters upset.
read more here
Fort Hood Sentinel By Ariana-Jasmine Castrellon, Sentinel Staff March 21, 2019
“I just found so much joy in being able to be present for somebody who’s grieving,” Wright said.
During the Good Grief Camp, March 15-17, 131 service members and veterans from around the Fort Hood area volunteered to mentor 123 child survivors at Duncan Elementary School. Each child was given his or her own mentor during the camp.
Training for volunteers was held on Friday, prior to the Good Grief Camp kick off Saturday morning, where child survivors were greeted by their mentors and broken up into seven different groups depending on their age.
The camp, hosted by Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors with support from the Fort Hood Survivor Outreach Services, offered classes and activities for adult and child survivors.
Sgt. Sarah Vanterpool, attached to Golf Forward Support Company, 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, shared that although she is married and does not have kids, she volunteered as a mentor as a way to give back to children in the community.
“At the end of the day, they just get to have their voices heard,” Vanterpool said.
Vanterpool said that although she was “voluntold” her first year to be a Good Grief Camp mentor, she came back for the second time this year on her own.
“It was the best experience ever,” Vanterpool said. “It makes me feel great – like amazing.”
Tragic Loss Of Brothers To Veteran Suicide Inspires VA Employee To Raise Awareness
SM Corridor News Date: March 21, 2019
Carolyn Colley, an associate counsel at VA’s Board of Veterans’ Appeals, recently produced the short film With or Without Me to raise awareness of Veteran suicide and to illustrate its devastating impact on their loved ones.
Veteran suicide is an issue close to Colley’s heart as she lost both of her brothers, who were combat Veterans, to suicide.
In February, she took part in a film workshop for post-9/11 Veterans called the Patton Veterans Project whose mission is to help Veterans cope with post traumatic stress, reduce social isolation and strengthen family, community and professional bonds.
The program incorporates screening events that validate Veterans’ experiences, advance community dialogue and educate the public about the mental health challenges facing Veterans and military families.
Tragedy Assistance Program For Survivors (TAPS) partnered with the Patton Veterans Project (PVP) by participating in its game-changing “I Was There” filmmaking workshop. Colley, an Air Force Veteran, joined Ben Patton and other Veterans touched by suicide loss to make the film.
According to TAPS, With or Without Me is a powerful example of the ways in which storytelling through film can at once bring awareness to a difficult issue to light while at the same time being immensely healing for the creators of the content. Watch the film and see for yourself.
To learn more about TAPS and the Patton Veterans Project, please visit their websites at taps.org and pattonveteransproject.org.
TAPS and PVP will present a session on the healing power of film for suicide loss survivors on April 26 at the 52nd Annual Conference of the American Association of Suicidology in Denver. read more here
Widow of Columbus firefighter remembers husband, talks need for mental health awareness
WBNS 10 News Bryant Somerville March 20, 2019
Eight years of dating and a five-month engagement led Katie-Jean and Shane Brintlinger to the middle of the dance floor for their first dance as a married couple.
Shane picked the song "More of You" by Chris Stapleton.
The day is frozen in time in pictures. They are moments Katie-Jean remembers every detail of.
They met at Otterbein University. Katie-Jean says, originally, Shane wanted to be a high school history teacher, but later changed his mind and opted for fire school. She says it was his passion.
"He would always tell me 'I thrive in those environments,'" she said. "He would say 'When I go in and people are freaking out, that's when I do my best. I can slow my mind down and think through what I need to do.'"
He worked in London, then Delaware. Then, the last five years, Brintlinger worked at the Columbus Fire Department.
"He truly loved it because he could just go after it," she said. "He loved that high speed, everything about it."
December 29, 2017, they were married. A year and two months later, Katie-Jean was at the grocery store.
"I called him to see if the asparagus was still good in our fridge," she said. "Well, he didn't answer."
A picture shows Katie-Jean on the back of a fire engine, talking to her husband one last time at the cemetery. read more here
Combat PTSD Wounded Times Kathie Costos March 9, 2019
I wanted to show what it is like driving into work at 5:00 am with very little traffic on the road. Much like when I got into working on PTSD back in 1982, the road was paved by others out there long before I even heard the term.
Vietnam veterans are responsible for everything we know about what trauma does. It is not that others never experienced it, but they were the ones who did something about it. During the filming of the video, the commercial for Wounded Warrior Project came on and I lost my mind. It came on right after I ran down the things that have been forgotten, including the fabulous work done on the Forgotten Warrior Project. It told their stories to stop them from suffering in silence. They are the wounded forgotten warriors! Their project was to heal their generations and all others who came before them and for those they knew would come after them. In the video you will hear about IFOC, Nam Knights and Point Man International Ministries. I trained with the IFOC. I am a Lady of the Knight with the Nam Knights. I am Florida state coordinator of Point Man. So yes, I believe in them and what we do! Please look them up if you want to know about about fabulous efforts to do real peer support.
Iraq War vet sheds light on veteran suicide prevention after executive order
KTXS by Rachel Aragon March 5th 2019
Weis said what veterans need is for people across the country to take an interest in veterans, both in what they went through and who they are as a person now.
“Not feeling sympathy for them or feeling bad for them, but it’s about bringing them up,” he said. “Letting them know you’re there.”
DAYTON, Ohio (WKEF/WRGT) - It’s a national crisis that’s caught the attention of the White House.
According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, 20 veterans commit suicide each day.
“Today we can help end this crisis,” President Donald Trump said Tuesday.
He signed an executive order aimed at bring the number of veteran suicides down.
The executive order creates a new task force that aims to get to the root of the problem.
"The task force will be charged with developing a national research strategy, so that we can more effectively identify, intervene, and help veterans during a time of need,” he said.
“It’s a step in the right direction,” Iraq War veteran Justin Weis said in response to executive order. read more here
‘Facing the monster’: Spokane firefighter battles PTSD
The Spokesman Review Megan Rowe March 3, 2019
“It turned out to be a very difficult recovery from the injury. A lot of pain, sleepless nights, strong medication. … Somewhere in that process, all of the events I’ve witnessed over the years and all the sadness just flooded back to me.” Lou Franchino
Not long ago, had you asked Lou Franchino, a Spokane firefighter for 23 years, if he would ever return to work, he would have said no.
He was experiencing extended bouts of insomnia. While awake, he described a near-constant state of anxiety. Traumatic calls flashed through his head at a breakneck pace: People who shot themselves in front of their family members, people who died in fires, from sudden infant death syndrome or a heart attack at a family dinner. Franchino was having breakdowns, erupting into tears at a moment’s notice. He felt trapped as a car passenger.
“It’s like being on anxious, high alert, all day long, 24 hours a day, you just can’t turn it off,” Franchino said. “And you talk to yourself like ‘Come on, calm down, you’re safe, everything’s fine.’ You can’t turn it off.”
Franchino sought answers from multiple doctors and everyone arrived at the same conclusion: Franchino was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Luckily for Franchino, Washington legislators passed a law last March which allowed him – and all other first responders – to receive treatment through workers’ compensation. A similar bill is expected to be signed in Idaho by Gov. Brad Little. read more here
A look at suicide: Van Buren’s GriefShare program offers support
Booneville Democrat By Scott Smith / Times Record Posted Mar 3, 2019
An individual’s suicide can be such an unpredictable, hard-hitting shock to that person’s loved ones, often causing an uncomfortable, long-lasting cocktail of feelings for those left behind, according to one area individual.
When someone loses a relative or friend to suicide, that person can be overwhelmed by feelings of confusion, sadness, guilt, anger and more, said LaToya Shepherd, an outreach pastor who oversees the GriefShare support program at Heritage Church in Van Buren. The 14-week, faith-based program employs video presentations, testimonies, a workbook and, if the participants are comfortable enough to participate, opportunities to share to help in the healing process, she said.
“There is a lesson that touches upon suicide in this,” Shepherd said of the program, which is held at 3 p.m. Sundays at Heritage Church, 1604 E. Pointer Trail in Van Buren. “And in no way does this lesson condemn the person who committed suicide or the family of that person. Even with the program being Biblically based, the lesson is very helpful and very hopeful. It’s not condemning at all.”
In addition to outlining the GriefShare workbook for participants, Shepherd is able to use her real-life experience to help others cope with their loss and move through the grieving process.
“My former husband tried to commit suicide but wasn’t successful,” she said. “He lived and is now a certified counselor who works in Oklahoma and is helping people. read more here
Ohio fraternal order calls for PTSD care for first responders
The Blade KATE SNYDER Blade Staff Writer February 28, 2019
Officer Payne did not report to work as scheduled on Tuesday, which prompted a welfare check, police said, and indications are that the death was a suicide. He was hired by the Toledo Police Department on Jan. 24, 1997, and served in field operations most of his career.
COLUMBUS — The Fraternal Order of Police of Ohio is calling for post-traumatic stress disorder care for first responders, citing a Toledo police officer’s possible suicide.
In a statement released Thursday, the Ohio FOP highlighted the mental-health hardship officers face in their work, and said the order plans to work with lawmakers on a new bill to provide better resources to police who may be suffering in silence.
“If a police officer breaks his leg carrying an injured child to safety, workers’ comp is there to help him heal,” the Ohio FOP said. “If that same child dies a painful death in the officer’s arms, and the officer isn’t otherwise injured, there is no help for the officer to process and cope ... ”
Toledo officer Jeffrey Payne, 53, died Tuesday in a possible suicide, according to the Toledo Police Department. Lucas County Sheriff John Tharp, whose office has investigated the death, said law enforcement throughout the country could benefit from expanded access to mental health services. read more here
By Col. (Dr.) Bruce K. Neely 446th Aerospace Medicine Squadron commander Published February 27, 2019
There is no shame in reaching out for help, asking for help, or letting others know you are lost.
JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Washington 6,079. That’s the number of veteran suicides for 2016, the most recent year reported. In some ways it’s just a random number and hard to put into any type of perspective. In many ways it’s sobering, sad, disturbing and disappointing.
One. That’s the number of veteran suicides of former 446th Airlift Wing members in 2019. I’ll give you some perspective on that. It was a friend of mine. A pilot who I flew into a war with. A pilot I helped when he needed a waiver for a medical issue. A pilot who was always upbeat, encouraging and helping to others. A pilot who left behind family and hundreds of friends across the Air Force. In all ways it’s sad, disturbing, hard to comprehend, and yes, disappointing.
There will probably never be answers for the question of why people commit suicide. I deal with suicidal people at my civilian work in the Emergency Department nearly every day.
Many of them have no answer for why they are feeling that way or what led them to that point. Many feel they are a burden on others, and don’t want to go on being a burden to others.
They don’t realize the burden of helping them, be it by those of us in the hospital or by their families and friends, is nothing compared to the burden left behind if they end their own lives. That burden is much greater and felt by more people. I know that to be true from my own reaction and the reaction of others to the death of our friend.
I make it a point to ask, remind and encourage everyone to take care of the people around them, in the squadron and in the wing. That is part of being a good wingman.
But, there’s another part to being a good wingman. In the flying community there is a term called lost wingman. That call is made when the wingman loses sight or contact with the lead. The call is made because it’s a serious safety of flight issue to be lost or out of contact. The procedure is to change your direction for a short period of time and then get back into contact and back on heading. There is no shame in calling lost wingman.
So, you see the other part of being a good wingman is knowing when you’re lost, and not just in relation to flying. It’s a serious safety of life issue. There is no shame in reaching out for help, asking for help, or letting others know you are lost.
People are concerned it will end their career. It’s not an end, it’s a temporary change in direction until you can make contact and get back on the correct flight path. Remember, there’s a waiver for almost everything, except being dead. There’s no waiver for that.
Pay attention to those around you. If someone seems off, ask them what’s going on. Reach out. Be a good wingman. But if you are lost, don’t hesitate to make that lost wingman call. I don’t want to lose any more friends.
Here is a partial list of resources if you feel lost: unit commander, first sergeant, your supervisor, your flight or section chief, your flight or section officer in charge, psychological health, chaplain, emergency departments, Military OneSource (militaryonesource.mil or 800-342-9647), National Suicide Prevention Life Line (1-800-273-8255).
On suicides, Air Force’s top chaplain preaches hope over darkness to Yokota airmen
STARS AND STRIPES By SETH ROBSON Published: February 21, 2019
Schaick, 60, who commands 2,000 chaplains and religious affairs airmen, told the Yokota personnel that life can go to a dark place, but it always gets better.
Air Force chief of chaplains Maj. Gen. Steven Schaick told airmen gathered for a prayer breakfast Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019, at the Enlisted Club at Yokota Air Base, Japan, that everyone experiences "moments of darkness" but that things get better in the end. SETH ROBSON/STARS AND STRIPES
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — Even a two-star general has “moments of darkness,” the Air Force chief of chaplains told servicemembers Thursday at the home of U.S. Forces Japan in western Tokyo.
Chaplain (Maj. Gen.) Steven Schaick told several airmen gathered for a National Prayer Breakfast event at the Yokota Enlisted Club that, like everyone, he experiences disorientation, for example, on days when there are complaints at work, his kids don’t answer the phone or he has issues with his wife.
“There is a spirit in this world who wants us to believe that is where it ends,” he said. “There are airmen all over Yokota who believe this even now … We had 100 airmen last year who decided that death by suicide was their only way out.”
Yokota’s 374th Maintenance Group had a string of airman suicides in 2016 and Pacific Air Forces dispatched a “suicide prevention support team” to investigate there and at Misawa and Kadena air bases. read more here
'I could feel my skin burning again' | Former firefighter opens up about his fight with PTSD
KDSK News Author: Casey Nolen February 20, 2019
Firefighters and police officers are five times more likely to suffer from PTSD and more likely to die by suicide than in the line of duty.
"A broken arm, you can put a cast on it and it will heal. PTSD and what firefighters and police officers deal with, this is something they can struggle with the rest of their life," said Anthony Bass with SSM Health Treatment and Recovery who counsels first responders.
It was a snow covered January night in 2014 when Tim Kirchoff and his crew arrived at a burning house on Nancy Drive in St. Charles. The fire looked like it was mostly out, but it flared up while Kirchoff and three fellow firefighters were in the basement, trapping them.
"I got to the point that I curled up on the floor and basically told my wife and kids goodbye," Kirchoff said. He can remember the fire like it was yesterday. "I knew this is the way I was going to die."
Somehow all four trapped firefighters made it out alive. Several surgeries helped mend Kirchoff's injuries on the outside. But inside, he was only getting worse.
"I was having nightmares. I was reliving it. I could literally feel my skin burning again; I couldn't sleep," said Kirchoff of the months after the fire. read more here
Law enforcement peer group meets in Dothan hoping to help others
WTVY News By Ken Curtis Feb 19, 2019
A few years ago, Houston County Sheriff Donald Valenza's fellow officer took his life. Valenza often wonders if he could have done something to prevent the tragedy.
Law enforcement officers, others attend seminar in Dothan to help them cope with job stress. Photo from February 19, 2019.
That prompted him to to organize seminars that help law enforcement officers cope with job related stress.
Alabama Fire Marshal's Office Investigator Jason Clifton attended his fourth seminar in Dothan Tuesday.
“It's a life changer to know you're not alone and you don't have to keep it bottled up inside because, if you keep things bottled up inside, you'll create a bomb that will explode,” Clifton said.
In 2017, more officers nationwide died from suicide than in the line of duty,” according to the website officer.com. Statistics show 140 police officers and 103 firefighters committed suicide.
Making the figures more disturbing, the Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliances estimates only about 40 percent of firefighter suicides are reported. read more here
Lakeland Fire Department rolls out Peer Support training
The Ledger By Kathy Leigh Berkowitz Posted Jan 20, 2019
The program was created to combat depression, suicidal thoughts and post-traumatic stress disorder faced by first responders.
LAKELAND — Deaths of first responders to suicide, increased depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other symptoms of mental health trauma have led some fire department leaders to change the way they want to see their peers cope with the often stressful and heartbreaking job. “Tradition is you just suck it up and go about your day, and just let it go,” Lakeland Fire Department Lt. Phil Green said Tuesday as the agency rolled out training for peer support last week.
Firefighters fight the macho mentality, the pressure of presenting as invincible, Green said. “There is a fear of saying, ‘I am not OK’,” he said, but “we are human just like everybody else.” Green, 36, was one of those peers chosen to take the training in an effort to be a sounding board for fellow firefighters. At 14 years in fire services, he said now that the awareness is there, he hopes people speak up when they need to talk. First responders face all kinds of trauma on a daily basis. “Vehicle accidents, all different ages. People hang themselves, shoot themselves. Some are burned to death. I have seen children die. ... I have actually stepped in brain matter on scene. I have placed bodies in body bags,” he said. One day Green said he answered a very bad call involving a child. As a father of a 4-year-old girl, Green said the call had “gotten to” him.
He met with a few other firefighters. “We said, let’s go get some coffee.”
An anonymous survey was distributed throughout the department, asking firefighters to write down the name or names of people they would turn to if they needed help coping with something. Those whose names popped up numerous times were gathered and brought to the training as the first peers to be certified under the program.
Lakeland Fire Department addressing post-traumatic stress in firefighters
FOX 13 News Ken Suarez January 14, 2019
Until recently, firefighters were expect to work out their problems on their own and not share them. The result can be post-traumatic stress, or in more severe cases, post-traumatic stress disorder.
LAKELAND, Fla. (FOX 13) - If you think you’re stressed at work, imagine being a firefighter. They deal with people during the lowest points of their lives, while their house is burning, or just moments after a terrible, possibly fatal car crash.
What’s worse, according to Assistant Chief Rick Hertzog of the Lakeland Fire Department, it is difficult for firefighters to move on after experiencing an especially traumatic situation.
“We pass by these locations where we run these calls over and over again,” he told FOX 13, noting the stress “continues to build up inside of us until sometimes we are just unable to cope.”
Traditionally, if firefighters confided that they were having a hard time emotionally, they would have been told to just deal with it and move on.
“That's how they handled it, they buried those feelings down,” said Tom Howard, a trainer from Illinois Firefighter Peer Support. read more here
