DC Fire and EMS are currently holding “Wellness Wednesdays” which are an opportunity to connect with other firefighters and see how they are doing.
D.C. Firefighter Jamal Woods has been with the D.C. Fire and Rescue Department for 14 years and grew up in the District.
Woods said that when she was a child, violence was common in her neighborhood.
“In the black community itself, we're taught from a young age to be tough,” Woods said. He said, “You're a boy, wake up, don't cry,” and added, “It wasn't helpful.”
Woods, who spoke at a forum about mental health awareness in firefighters and the black community, recalled meeting a woman with cancer during one call. She was alone in her house and she was having a hard time.
Woods said she reminded him of his mother, who battled cancer for more than a decade before passing away last year. “So I'm here, holding her head up and making her throw up. And I'm treating her the same way I treated her mother. So the next thing I know, I'm , there are tears in my eyes, and we're not.'' There are supposed to be these connections. ”
Woods remembers her partner asking if she was OK. “No, it's not,” Woods said, admitting that his first impulse was to say, “Yes, I'm fine.”
Woods currently participates in the fire department's “Wellness Wednesday,” which gives him an opportunity to connect with other firefighters and see how they're doing.
After a panel discussion at the RISE Center in Southeast D.C., Assistant Fire Chief Michael Knight said it's important to hear from firefighters like Lt. Robert Alvarado.
Knight said people look at Alvarado and think, “He's so strong and tough and there's no way he's going to have any mental health issues or crisis,” but Alvarado is willing to share his story. said that others can take care of their mental health.
“When I'm fighting fires or whatever, I'm fine and I'm a total man. Outside of that, though, [I can feel] It’s fragile,” Alvarado said. “The things I see and experience on the job accumulate.”
His own crisis came to a head when his marriage was about to end. “It got so off the rails that when I got home it was like a country song. My wife was gone, my dog was gone,” Alvarado said, adding that his wife “went to her mom and I should check it out.” He reportedly left a note saying.
He figured it out and got help.
Alvarado advises others: “Recognize that asking for help is the right thing to do. It's part of doing your job well,” he says, and it's also part of living a healthy, balanced life outside of work. he said.
Among the topics covered during Friday's panel discussion was the management of the health care system.
D.C. Fire Chief John Donnelly said the big takeaway for him was the challenge of finding available care.
Donnelly said his department has adopted something called NFPA 1500. This is the National Fire Protection Association's Occupational Safety and Health Program, which includes behavioral health and wellness programs.
“We still have a long way to go” to meet all standards, he said. “Everything we talked about is currently being addressed or has already been addressed.”
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