“The pressures of serving a community are very high for firefighters.”
June is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD month.
When many think of PTSD and those that suffer from it the common references are men and women in the armed forces, or children that may have survived horrific childhood experiences; but it’s your local heroes that are often a forgotten piece of the conversation surrounding post traumatic stress disorder.
Terry Johnson, Junction City Fire Chief, said that the stress of your job – to help, save others – can sometimes consume you.
“We see people hurt, homes destroyed, you’re dealing with illnesses that you don’t know what it is; and you do this day in and day out,” said Johnson. “Every third day for 24 hours, you’re answering the call for help, and it wears on firefighters quite a bit.”
According to the American Journal of Psychology, about 18 percent of firefighters experience post traumatic stress disorder symptoms. And approximately 27 percent of all firefighters suffer from some form of mental illness related to ptsd.
“We used to call it ‘burn-out’, but really it’s traumatic stress; that’s what we do – deal with traumatic incidents all the time,” said Johnson. “We need to be aware of the signs and be aware that the stresses do get to us.”
The National Center for PTSD identifies the following symptoms for someone whom may be struggling to cope with a traumatic incident:
- Reliving the event: nightmares, flashbacks, smells or sounds may be triggers
- Avoiding situations that remind you of the event
- Negative changes in beliefs and feelings
- Feeling ‘keyed’ up, or hyper-arousal: hard time sleeping/concentrating
Symptoms disrupt your life or make it hard for you to get through the day.
“One of the great things about firemen is they always look out for each other; so when someone starts to have a hard time and starts to show those symptoms, we try to get them help,” said Johnson. “The fire service is a brotherhood, it’s a family.”
And PTSD doesn’t only affect firefighters; many of the men and women who work in public safety are exposed to traumatic or devastating events multiple times throughout a career. Johnson noted that sometimes just “opening up” and having a conversation about whatever you’re feeling can help the healing process and allow time for a vacation or break from duty if necessary.
If you or someone you know is struggling, there are several ways to get help. Talk with a doctor, seek treatment. There are also several crisis hotlines available depending on your need. For more information visit: https://ptsdusa.org/get-help/hotline-crisis-numbers/.
*feature photo courtesy JCFD