Events take toll on firefighters
Fatal wrecks, house fires and drownings may be part of their job, but the stress of traumatic events can take a psychological toll on firefighters and could lead to permanent damage if not addressed quickly.
“If you have a sixyear-old son at home or a grandchild, or something like that or you relate to the family member, it’s hard for you not to empathize in those types of situations,” said Walker, a 28-year-veteran of the Oklahoma City Fire Department.
Walker said there is a tendency among firefighters — and people in general — to hide what might be perceived as a weakness that can prevent those affected by traumatic events from seeking help.
In a survey conducted this year by the International Association of Fire Fighters and NBC, the majority of firefighters from North America who responded said they had experienced critical stress on the job which led to “lingering or unresolved emotional issues.”
Of those, 64 percent said they were easily angered or withdrawn. Nearly 60 percent said they had family or relationship problems, more than 30 percent reported substance abuse and about 14 percent had thoughts of suicide.
When asked if they thought there was a stigma associated with seeking help, 77 percent of respondents said yes.
Walker said the department has worked for decades to break that stigma.
“The stigma that goes along with anything that has to do with mental trauma — you’re either weak or you’re seeking attention, or whatever the other labels that can be placed on there,” he said.
“We’re lucky enough, I was lucky enough, that we ... clued into this even before the (1995 Oklahoma City federal building) bombing, that we started using critical incident stress management debriefing.”
The debriefing is done by a group of trained volunteers within the department who can respond to a traumatic scene or will gather firefighters after they return to their station. The main goal is to let firefighters talk about what they’ve experienced and offer resources, which Walker said may seem simple, but has been very effective.
“There’s a lot of stuff out there about posttraumatic stress and the science is continuing to evolve. But one of the aspects that researchers and scientists tend to agree on is getting the person to talk about it is one of the most important things,” he said.
Peer support available
Decades ago, firefighters typically decided as a group when an incident was significant and might warrant the need for help in coping. Although it was never policy and
wasn’t done on a conscious level, Walker said that way of thinking is outdated as it’s impossible to tell how one situation might negatively affect one firefighter while another can carry on, seemingly unfazed.
“If it is something like the death of a child ... fatality fires, if we know of crews that they’ve had a really bad car wreck ... we get the team over there and talk to them. Sometimes they’re there for 20 minutes, sometimes they’re there for a few hours,” Walker said.
Walker said the department now has a peer support group that will be available alongside existing resources.
Having that group, especially one made of those who understand and have been in similar situations, is vital. Walker likened it to soldiers returning home from combat, those who had a strong support group were able to recover faster from the mental trauma experienced on the battlefield.
Walker said the most important thing that firefighters and other first responders understand is that what they’re going through is normal.
"We’re getting to the point where people realize it’s just an emotion. It’s just an expression of an emotion. Your brain is not weak. You’re not weak,” he said. “It becomes an unhealthy thing if you don’t deal with it.”