BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) – Every day, firefighters and other emergency personnel are called to the Birmingham Fire Department, and their entire shift is filled with events ranging from car crashes to fires to shootings. Many of these incidents are fatal, and Chief Cory Moon says it can harm you.
New research shows that the stress first responders deal with has a major impact on their mental health, from depression and anxiety to suicidal thoughts. Commissioner Moon said he wants to address this issue through critical stress debriefings after traumatic events or as needed.
Minister Moon said, “It's okay not to be okay.'' “People look at first responders as heroes, and so do we, but we're also human. What we've seen throughout our careers is that we see things on a daily basis that people shouldn't see. I've seen a lot of them, and they can and do affect you.”
That's why we offer critical stress debriefing and peer-to-peer support to help first responders deal with the tragic situations they see every day. It was also the case last July when he personally responded to the tragedy in which two firefighters were shot at the 9th Precinct.
“We have made it mandatory for certain incidents: all fire fatalities, all child-related fatalities, and we monitor all incidents and provide critical stress reporting on a case-by-case basis. ” President Moon said.
He wishes a service like this had existed when he started 20 years ago.
“Being out in the field and actually seeing something like that over and over again, many times a day, many times throughout the day, it can have a negative effect on you. It can have a negative effect on you. It can manifest itself in many ways in your behavior and the way you treat your family.”
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