I am reading the above titled book by Ellen Kirschman, PhD, a clinical psychologist and consultant.  It is a great book for the families and loved ones of firefighters to read.  It really gives an inside view of what firefighters experience from applying to the fire department to retirement.  My goal is to put together a brief overview to give to families at recruit orientation.  Some of our recruits have quit or been terminated from the program in the past because of familial issues that came up during recruit school.  If this is successful, I am thinking of starting a family support or an auxillary group.

Does anyone already have a program or auxiliary group for firefighter families?

Do you think more should be done for firefighter families to help them understand what being a firefighter truly involves?  By this, I mean the physical, mental and emotional toll that it can have on a firefighter.

Thank you in advance for your thoughtful responses on this matter.

Sylvia

Fire Training Coordinator

Columbia Fire Dept, SC