By Steven S Greene, Founder & Host, “5-Alarm Task Force”
In the fire service, we often use the term “exposure.” As many may know, we use this term in multiple ways, such as:
- Another structure, vehicle, apparatus, etc., which is close to a structure or structures on fire
- Dangers presented by a HAZMAT situation to both people and property.
- Transmission of a bacterial or viral infection
- Being in the presence of carcinogens, directly or indirectly
Some may say the list above is complete when we think about this word. I hold a different view as I see at least two additional definitions of the term:
- Facing traumatic incidents with tragic and often gruesome scenes
- Facing emotional abuse in the firehouse, on apparatus and even at home
In 2015, the Firefighter Cancer Initiative was started at the University of Miami, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center in Miami, FL. Then, the focus was on our exposure to carcinogens in the everyday calls we answered, from dumpster fires to homes and strip malls and “big box” stores. Then, in 2017, we learned about the “forever chemicals,” PFAS/PFOS, in the bunker gear we wear to protect ourselves from exposure to airborne carcinogens. Thus, by this point in time, we were well aware of these dangers, but there was another that took longer to catch on.
In 2010, a former firefighter was seeing and learning about a more silent and perhaps even more insidious exposure and the heavy and tragic toll it was taking, thus giving an early start to the Behavioral Health Initiative. Jeff Dill stood fast in his position that we were (and sadly, still are) losing too many of our Brothers and Sisters to their own hands. This is not unique to us in the U.S. Canada and the UK have created national programs to assist the behavioral health of their firefighters, police officers and EMS personnel. While we indeed have “tools” to deal with physical threats, we find that the same process does not apply to our mental health.
We did not get into this business to get rich or have a relatively “cushy” job with friends. Whether we come from a family of first responders or we have just gone into it to learn how to do the job to the best of our ability (my personal journey). However, most of us did not take this job or volunteer without a certain level of understanding of the risks of the job. But, until just a few years ago, behavioral health was a very “hush-hush” topic in the firehouse and even the bars we’d go to. The concept was a taint in the long-admired fire service. And, if it was not for Jeff Dill putting a neon sign on initially, firefighters taking their own lives. Thankfully, it has expanded into the Firefighter Behavioral Health Initiative. Nevertheless, the very concept of this still bothers many of our Brothers and Sisters, from rookies to senior personnel; even our officers are not immune.
The most common reaction to this issue is, “Hey, you knew what you were getting yourself into! Don’t wimp out on us!” Yes, even in 2024, we still have those who believe that any discussion of behavioral health issues is forbidden in the firehouse and has no place in the firehouse atmosphere. So, I asked myself, “Why would brave and committed Brothers and Sisters be afraid of this topic when they would enter a severe structure fire with an axe and a “can?”
From the IAFF Center for Excellence in 2018, it was posited that the fear firefighters have of seeking mental health treatment is a factor in the high suicide rate in the fire service. We must be honest. Most of us think of the concept of “family” among all three branches of public safety. While it is often true that each branch feels unique about what it sees and does, there can be no doubt that no matter which branch we serve, we all see the dark side of life in many ways and different situations.
If you want to boast that “I don’t need no frickin’ “shrink” to take care of me and ask me stupid questions,” that’s your prerogative. Even if it is a lie. And even if you’re dealing with these types of issues, while you’ll readily climb a one-hundred-foot aerial ladder, you are afraid of dealing with the mental side of what you do, and the price is to steer you to a better you. Perhaps the stigma you feel of meeting with a trained behavioral health professional is based on your greater fear that one or more of your co-workers will find out you sought our help.
WHY? What are you really afraid of? All too often, when most of us visit our primary care physician, we don’t feel any apprehension. Maybe it’s a specialist in cardiac care or hematology or even undergoing a medical review by an outside company that your department contracts with. You want to know that you, your crew, and your family are safe.
Sure, the stigma often attributed by the fire service 20, 30, 40 years, and more years ago, you probably would not hear a whisper about a behavioral health program in the fire service. However, since 2016-2017, the IAFF and the NVFC have bought into the absolute importance of the Firefighter Behavioral Health Initiative, even if not all the members agree. Yet, you submit yourself for your annual department physical! Why? Because we have been able to remove the unfair and inappropriate stigma of our physical care. And now, it is time for every department, career, volunteer, combination, or paid-on-call to “buy in” to the importance of and the value of behavioral health sessions.
Look, I was disabled after just eight years as a volunteer firefighter. And that devastated me. I accidentally found this wonderful service and was eagerly accepted, even though I did not know “jack” about fighting fires, rescues, ladders, etc. But with a great friend and our mentor, my buddy and I did well. Though he was single, I was married. And, by having to work at least 60 hours per week, I had to choose my time slots so that I was fair to both learning to be a firefighter and spending enough time with my wife. I was just recently able to share what a traumatic event it was for me to have to give up this wonderful avocation that I loved. And for a number of years, the only connection I had with the fire service was through the trades and visiting firehouses in the communities in which we lived. Plus, I have kept a complement of BLS, bars, gloves and ropes in every vehicle I have had since being forced out of what I loved doing. My family members estimate that even with my back and knee injuries, I have stopped over 200 times to assist as a first responder at an emergency scene where no one else with experience was there. And being able to admit to and buying into what happened to me, has allowed me to strip away the trauma of losing an active position in the fire service and acknowledging all of what I accomplished both as a volunteer fire departments in the states of North Carolina and New York.
Moreover, I never let what occurred to me physically get in the way for me to continue to learn about the fire service through the trades and beginning in 2016, via my podcast, “5-Alarm Task Force.” Then in 2020 in the midst of the pandemic, we launched a nonprofit to provide immediate financial assistance to our Brothers/Sisters or their families, after suffering a serious LODI or and LODD. As I write these checks, I once again feel empowered, knowing that we are indeed still assisting our Brothers and Sisters.
With the same faith you crawl over the parapet on a 15-story building to rescue a victim, use it also to setup a telehealth, phone or in-person session with a behavioral health specialist or even your clergy person or an officer you have ultimate faith in.
Be the very best you can be, without fear of exposure. However, you might just find another aspect of you…faith in the service you provide and faith for the service that is there for you should you decide you need it.
