Mental health strain on firefighters must not be swept under the rug – Las Vegas Sun

Sunday, July 5, 2020 | 2 a.m.

For the firefighters battling the Mahogany wildfire near Mount Charleston, July 4 was another night spent in the field and away from family.

Thats the job. Wildfires dont take off holidays, so neither do the crews working to put them out. They devote weeks and months of time far from home, doing difficult and often dangerous work to protect lives, property and the environment.

Information on mental health service needs for firefighters, along with opportunities to donate to advocacy organizations, can be found through such organizations as the Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance (ffbha.org), the Wildland Firefighter Foundation (wffoundation.org) and Wildland Fire and Aviation Critical Incident Stress Management (gacc.nifc.gov/cism/suicide.html).

But now, with fire seasons growing ever longer and more severe due to climate change, its increasingly important that Americans honor the firefighters sacrifice by providing them the support they need to perform their work.

That includes services to protect their mental and emotional well-being, a growing source of concern. Mental health strains are endemic among all first responders firefighters, health care workers, EMTs, police and its important that we devise additional services for all of them.

Firefighting is a stressful and demanding job overall, but wildland firefighting brings its own set of difficulties that, along with the changes in the fire season, make it particularly pressure-filled. The growing severity of fires elevates the risk and the anxieties attached to it. It also exposes firefighters to more and more traumatic situations life-threatening situations, accidents, the deaths of colleagues or other fire victims, and more. According to FEMA estimates, an average of 17 wildland firefighters die per year nationwide.

Sleep deprivation and workdays of 16 hours or more take an emotional and physical toll.

And when firefighters go home after long periods, the transition back to domestic life can be stressful. They can also experience feelings of isolation from their colleagues in the field.

The culture of firefighters also works against those who may need help. Theres a premium on being tough, which is understandable given the gritty nature of the job but can lead some firefighters not to reach out.

Now theres a growing body of evidence that post-traumatic stress is high among wildland firefighters. Although the government doesnt track key mental health data for the profession, firefighters and their loved ones are speaking out about it and encouraging others to open up. Media reports on the issue are popping up, too, and a 2018 study of 20 firefighters by Florida State University researchers found that 11 reported clinically significant suicidal symptoms.

Thats worrisome, as are reports that the safety net of mental health services provided by the federal government and at the department level could use improvement. As reported recently by the investigative journalism organization High Country News: Over the past few years, the wildland firefighting community has become increasingly aware of trauma exposure within its ranks, but the federal and state agencies that employ firefighters remain ill-prepared to handle (the issue). Treatment options are limited and difficult to access. Rather than help traumatized employees recover, many say the government offers them an impossible choice: Take the injury in stride, or go work somewhere else.

Thats unacceptable. The work of wildland firefighters is too important, and the sacrifices being made by the crews are too high, to let them go without the help they deserve. With more than 13,000 firefighters employed by federal agencies and thousands more working for state and local agencies or volunteering, its a widespread need.

Its critical for national, state and local leaders to ensure that firefighters are allowed convenient access to mental health services both through their employer and through confidential channels that allow them to avoid stigmatization.

The government also should be required to begin monitoring and tracking mental health in the profession, both to gain a better grasp of the scope of the issue and to develop strategies to provide assistance.

The good news is that the problem isnt being ignored. Some services are provided, such as stress management teams that are brought in to provide counseling for firefighters who experience traumatic events.

As shown here in Las Vegas, where federal contractors have set up meal services and portable showers at Centennial High School to serve the Mahogany firefighters, the government is doing a good job of providing for these protectors basic needs. Now we need to do our best to take care of them on an emotional level too.

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Mental health strain on firefighters must not be swept under the rug - Las Vegas Sun