The Talk That No One Wants To Talk about… Mental Health in Fire/EMS

Have you ever answered that call where a person is having a mental crisis? Ever try to figure out what is possibly going on?, and then you see that person that is having the crisis is You. That’s correct, it is you, your co-worker , your people you work with on a daily basis. EMS and Fire is one of the most stressful jobs that individuals deal with daily. It is one of the jobs where so many people have a mental crisis and do not know how to deal with it or where to turn to get help. There is always talk about “burnout” amongst EMS/Fire, but there are times we miss the signs that one has to show they have it. The jobs and calls that EMS/Fire run and deal with can take a toll on one’s mind and happiness. It can spell over in the home life causing issues and problems with their loved ones. The things that are seen by these individuals are things that no man or woman should see but we do because we took an oath to help and protect others when the duty calls. Every person who does this on a paid side or a volunteer side, has been on calls that they are willing to tell and talk about, but then there are the ones that we push way down inside and hope they will somehow fade away. We hide them, hoping they will eventually go away and things will get better and for a bit it may but sometimes certain things or calls will resurrect those memories. For a little while we get some comfort and rest, just to have another call bring back those thoughts and the hidden despair. Upon studies it has been said there are 5 truths about Fire/EMS and mental health. As follows these are the 5…

1) The level of uncertainty is high. There is no guarantee of what is going to happen or when. It is always in the back of our mind.

2) It’s the physiological response that occurs when the tones drop. We all like to hear those tones drop, but what happens to our mind and body is surreal. Heart rate, blood pressure, blood sugar, and adrenaline rises and the gas pedal is pushed, per say. Once the call is over and we try to return to our calm self or hit the brakes, it can be hard especially if there is another call before we have that time to decompress.

3) High Interpersonal Tension Fire/EMS must live with each other 24-36hours at a time, which is usually more then they live at their own home. This can cause stress and tension between the ones working at a very high level.

4) Frequent exposure to human tragedy, In a shift partners may see death from once to several times on their shift. This can be from young to the elderly and have a strong grip on the feelings we must deal with. Along with this death, we must be able to deal with the family in a professional manner and keep our emotions in check at all times. When this call is over we must move on to the next call that is toned out.

5) Underlying Fear, One of the fears that Fire/EMS deal with is not knowing what lies ahead. No matter how much information we get over the radio, there is that fear that we have not knowing what we could be walking into. Then there is the fear, did we do everything we could, did we do everything right, and if not will we be sued, will we be judged.

These questions within themselves are enough to keep us asking the same questions over and over in our head.

Among Fire/EMS, first responders, PTSD rates are triple and firefighters are more likely to take their own life than to die in the line of duty. Combining Fire/EMS duties made the individuals six times more likely to report a suicide attempt than just firefighting duties alone. It has been reported as well that 37% of EMS first responders contemplated suicide and 6.6% attempted suicide, making them 10 times more likely than the CDC reports.

In this line of work many think that we should be strong in order to handle the job. As many have figured out, the job itself can weaken a person, body and mind. People only let us see what is on the surface and not what is inside. Therefore, Fire/EMS must watch out for each other and look out for signs that can help determine what might be going on.

Some signs to watch for in your co-workers and family members would be:

Lack of sleep or not resting at all

Avoiding normal daily activities

Isolating themselves from others

Change in attitude

Feeling insecure

Inability to concentrate

Anxiety

Loss of appetite or weight gain

Increase alcohol or tobacco

If these signs are seen in any coworker or family member they should be addressed immediately. The mental state of ones mind should not be jeopardized in thinking everything is good.

Key points to help Fire/EMS survive and lack of burnouts is as follows:

1)Learn time management

2)Learn where energy is expended

3)Learn and accept where you have control and where you don’t in your life.

Healthy ways to help Fire/EMS to cope:

1)Talking and listening is one of the major ways to cope. Do not turn anyone away, as it could or you could be there last hope of faith to deal with what is going on.

2)Find a hobby to do to occupy yourself and to accomplish that will give one self worth.

3)Exercise if possible even if it is just a short walk and last one, one of the most important, get plenty of rest and take care of yourself first.

We are all doing the same job, saving lives, but lets watch out for our brother and sisters and make sure they are doing well in life too. All of us need a shoulder to lean on, an ear to hear us and arms to lift us up.

Stay Safe and Pray for one another!

Diann Hawk-EMS Capt. 600 DVFR

Submitted by Alfred Smith, VAJVRS Senior Advisor

President, Shade Johnson; Vice President , Christopher Skeen; Secretary/Treasurer, Haven Johnson; Chaplain, Kaden Gray; and Historian, Koedan Murphy.

(VAJVRS OFFICERS in the photo are in the order corresponding to their office.)

Since the Tropical storm, Ophelia, cancelled the scheduled installation of officers, we were fortunate to have Steve Rohr, Junior Advisor for Staunton Augusta, to still be available to perform a hallway installation. He gave an inspirational talk to the new VAJVRS Officers and duly installed them.

We are fortunate to have these young people to agreed to volunteer their services this year.

It was also nice to have in attendance: Scotty Caldwell, Board of Governor’s Representative from Blacksburg Volunteer Rescue Squad, Billy Johnson, Board of Governor’s Representative from Cleveland Life Saving Crew and Junior Advisor Marcus Combs from Cleveland Life Saving Crew.