Wash. fire department’s mental health effort spreads

Responders’ T-shirts for PTSD awareness catch on

LONGVIEW, Wash. — After nearly 15 years of responding to traumatic calls as a firefighter and paramedic in Cowlitz County, Stacie Poff noticed she would sometimes feel angry and agitated at nothing in particular. At home, the activities that used to bring her joy did little to lighten her mood, she said.

Those were the first symptoms of the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) she developed on the job, said Poff, who works with Cowlitz County Fire District 6 in Castle Rock.

“I was anxious, and I lost my confidence in the field. I know a lot of my closest peers and family members noticed it the most,” Poff said of her initial PTSD symptoms in 2015. “I did a lot of second-guessing, and I just wasn’t comfortable in my own skin anymore.”

With the help of her husband, Poff sought counseling and treatment. Today she says she’s “doing well” managing her triggers and symptoms — and her “lengthy battle” with PTSD has inspired her to help others.

Poff and her Cowlitz 6 colleagues have launched a campaign to shed light on the mental health problems first responders face and encourage them to seek help when they need it. The department is wearing specially designed T-shirts in June for PTSD Awareness Month. The campaign even is catching on nationally.

“In order for us to go out and do our jobs effectively, we have to be able to take care of ourselves. We can’t have people be afraid to ask for help, or to try and do their job when they are hurting and anxious,” Poff said.

“The overall goal is to get people to know it’s OK to not be OK,” said Andy Ogden, assistant fire chief at the district. “It’s OK to ask for help.”

In 2017 more first responders died of suicide than in the line of duty, according to the Ruderman Family Foundation, an international philanthropic group that supports persons with disabilities. A study by the foundation found that frequent and long-term exposure to traumatic situations causes a higher rate of mental illnesses like PTSD and depression for first responders, which in turn causes them to commit suicide at a considerably higher rate than the general population.

Ogden developed PTSD after almost 20 years working as a volunteer firefighter. He said his symptoms were triggered by a series of calls in 2017, though past experiences played a role in his trauma.

“The call that gets you doesn’t have to be a major one. It’s just something inside triggers (trauma) from way back,” Ogden said.

Ogden added that if the campaign makes it easier for just one person to ask for help, then “it’s all worth it. That’s the goal.”