Changing the perception Local family funds mental health workshop for public safety personnel
This Valentine’s Day will be the fith anniversary of Billy Lewis taking his own life, four years ater being diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder stemming from his time working as a firefighter and paramedic.
The pain of his loss has never diminished for the Lewis family, though they have worked to turn their tragedy into a positive for others who might be struggling with similar issues.
“My husband and I and our daughter, Michele, have committed ourselves to help promote education and awareness of this problem, not just for firefighters but for all those in public safety positions,” said Karen Lewis, Billy’s mother. “It is at epidemic levels and has been within the firefighting community for quite a long time.”
California has the fourth highest suicide rate of firefighters in the United States
(95 suicides since 1880), according to the Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance. However, it is considered an issue across the country, not only in firefighting but other public safety professions as well.
Ater graduating from Live Oak High School and attending the fire academy at Butte College, Billy worked as a firefighter in Live Oak, Sutter County and Yuba City.
He eventually wanted to work for a bigger station and had a friend who worked for a department in Sacramento. He would end up transferring, which also required him to become a paramedic.
The calls he would respond to with the department changed Billy. It wasn’t just the horrific scenes they had to witness on a daily basis, it was also the sleep deprivation, lack of down time and resources to help decompress.
Karen Lewis said her son eventually had a severe breakdown at work after one particularly horrendous call, after which he was diagnosed with PTSD. He was given time off and sent to a weeklong retreat for continual counseling and advice on how to overcome his PTSD, but it was just too little too late, she said. The profession failed him.
“I think one of the hardest things for me to forgive was that after Billy had his breakdown, he experienced some of his peers ridiculing him and making fun of him. One time he went to the doctor to try to get help, and the doctor told him he wanted nothing to do with him and that he just thought Billy was looking for disability,” Karen Lewis said. “I remember he called me afterwards and said, ‘where do I go from here?’”
Karen Lewis said things have started to change in the profession since Billy’s suicide, like departments getting better at rotating personnel out of intense assignments, and the ability for firefighters to seek out disability for things like PTSD.
She and her husband, W.C. “Lew,” have been members of the Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance since Billy’s death. The nonprofit organization was established by a former fire captain to provide behavioral health workshops to fire departments, EMS and dispatch organizations, focusing on behavioral health awareness with an emphasis toward suicide prevention and promoting resources for personnel and their families.
Alliance Ceo/founder
Jeff Dill said many people fail to realize that firefighters struggle with everything from depression, addictions and relationship issues to PTSD, stress/ anxiety, and suicide.
“It is tough enough for us, in the fire and EMS, to overcome cultural brainwashing where we think we can handle all our issues on our own,” Dill said. “We are just human beings after all.”
Familiar with the work FBHA does, the Lewis family donated to the organization to help in their efforts of providing workshops across the country. Dill gave them the option to use that money for a workshop that was close to the Lewis family’s home.
After reading about the Yuba City Fire Department’s efforts to establish a mental health task force that provides personnel with resources and specified training revolved around suicide awareness and prevention, the Lewis family decided to have Dill and his team do a virtual workshop for the local department.
“People like Chief Jesse Alexander are making a difference. It’s taking the younger generation to make that change, they are moving in and the younger guys are recognizing the need,” Karen Lewis said. “Jesse opened up the door for these kinds of discussions to take place. It lifts my spirits knowing support from people like him is growing.”
Yuba City Fire Chief Jesse Alexander said it’s hard to put into words just how much the Lewis family’s act of kindness means to him.
“I can’t begin to imagine the heartache of losing a son. I think it’s pretty amazing that they are trying to use their tragedy to help other firefighters in the future,” Alexander said.
“It’s such a gracious act, and I’m pretty confident in seeing the support of others wanting to sit in on the workshop that it will benefit others, so that no other parents have to deal with the same thing the Lewis family did.”
The virtual workshop is planned for this afternoon and will focus on recognizing signs of PTSD and suicide prevention. Alexander said at least seven other agencies have since signed up to attend, including departments from South Lake Tahoe, Carson City, Chico and Woodland.
“It’s a full on epidemic in our profession, with PTSD and suicide. The type of stuff you see on a day-today basis, the tragedy and trauma; it’s not always just the extreme incidents, it could be all the minor things that add up,” he said.
While the issue of mental health is prevalent throughout public safety professions, Alexander said it can happen to anyone, especially following difficult periods like the one experienced in 2020 with the pandemic. This weekend also marks the one year anniversary of one of his best friends committing suicide.
“Honestly, the best thing the community can do is be open to it and understand that firefighters experience high levels of trauma, and that maybe having these discussions can help in the private sector as well,” he said. “Just because we are bringing attention to firefighters, we should also realize that people in the community have the same problems.”
Karen Lewis said her family’s call to help others brings them a sense of peace. She hopes the stigma surrounding mental health issues continues to improve, not just in the profession but the community as a whole.
“All I can say is to be receptive and compassionate of those people who have mental health issues, no matter who it is,” Karen Lewis said. “Don’t look down on them. Be respectful of the fact that we all handle things differently. We are not created equal when it comes to being able to process bad things that happen in our lives.”
Starting a discussion