Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Mason on December 3, 2007 at 7:29pm

im trueily sad to hear that.

i had a friend once who tried, but she was found in time.

i can understand why tho, sometimes what you see in our line of work is just too tough to get over.
thats why we have debriefing if what we saw is just heart wrenching.
we haven't had any situations like that at our department, but it not like it couldn't happen.
my deepest sympathy to you
--mason

Permalink Reply by Scott on December 4, 2007 at 3:57pm

I am sorry to hear about your friend.

The problem as I see it is the stegma around Mental health. Nobody wants to admit they have a problem and all to often we find out when it is too late. Until we tear away at the stegma and let everybody know that it does not mean they are weak if they need help and no less of a firefighter the problem of suicide among firefighters, Police officers, and EMS will remain. We see things on a daily basis that most people go their whole lives without seeing and we do not talk about it and we keep it bottled up inside until we cant take it anymore. We as Public servants need to look out for our own and tear away the stigma that mental health problems make you weak.

Permalink Reply by Beth on December 4, 2007 at 7:45pm

I'm sorry about the loss of your friend. May he rest in peace.

I worked at a private transport co. and my friend, who was also one of the employees, committed suicide. Some of the crews (like mine) were basket cases. Others said that "he was just a nut job". This attitude has made me so angry. No one has understood why he did this. He seemed to have everything. Just because everything "looked" perfect didn't mean that everything was running smoothly in his life.

I agree with Scott that there is a huge stigma around admitting that you are having problems coping. Debreifings help some people, but not everyone wants the help. We can never know how a person is feeling inside. The calls may only be a small part of what caused the problems. Sometimes good friends that listen are all that we need and other times a therapist is needed. No one should ever be judged if they need help from either from a friend or a therapist to cope with life's issues.

Permalink Reply by Joe Stoltz on December 4, 2007 at 9:31pm

Kena, I also would like to extend my sympathy to you in the loss of your friend.

I'd also like to thank you for starting this discussion. The title immediately brought to mind Robert O'Donnell, who was one of the rescuers of a baby named Jessica McClure in Midland TX in 1987. Although this story had a happy ending, it started a series of events in his life that resulted in him taking his own life.

This led me to search on the web for his story, and I happened upon an article that discusses suicide in rescuers specifically. Here is the link:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2003-09-22-legacy-usat_x.htm

It's kind of scary to read, since PTSD doesn't always involve a call with a tragic outcome. Sometimes it's the fame or instant heroism that is the stressor. Thankfully, my department hasn't had to deal with this issue involving one of our own, and I hope we never have to.

We need to watch ourselves, folks. And Kena, thanks again for starting this thread. I hope other people can add something of benefit.