National Firefighter Health Week - Day 1 - Head Strong

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"Head Strong" is the theme for the first day of National Firefighter Health Week, which was created by the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) and runs from August 16th to August 20th.  The "Head Strong" theme is based on behavioral health and focuses on the impact fighting fires and responding to emergencies has on the mental well-being of emergency personnel.



"It's really important to be focusing on mental health as an important part of your all around healthy lifestyle," says Rachel Higginbotham, Director of the NVFC National Junior Firefighter Program.



Franklin Pratt, MD, with the LA County Fire Department explains how departments such as his consider mental health and physical health as woven together by stating, "Historically there has been a desire and need to separate them, but we find that when we bring them together and show our firefighters the benefits of thinking of health as a continuum, involving the features of wellness, we have a much more prepared and prosperous firefighter."



According to Phyllis Cohen, a mental health consultant for the LA County Fire Department, firefighters can experience the stresses in one day that many of us will not experience in a lifetime, especially when it comes to difficult incidents that involve multiple deaths or the deaths of children. Often those incidents can trigger a personal experience or remind first responders of a loved one.



Cohen also claims that firefighters get accustomed to seeing these abnormal situations and holding in their feelings, which is not a natural thing to do. It is extremely important for first responders to speak to someone about their emotions.



"So by talking about it, it lets it out. It kind of gives ourselves that ability to release some space in ourselves. It tends to be scary for firefighters to express some of those feelings, but the fact is: that makes them normal," says Cohen.



If for some reason a first responder does not want to talk to a professional, many departments have peer counselors which are also available.



Peer counselor for the Los Angeles County Fire Department, Captain John Scavarda, expresses, "We are firefighters. We have the same problems everybody else has in day-to-day life, along with the problems you have along the course of being a firefighter. We are a peer driven program with the guidance of mental health professionals. Whether it be divorce, marriage, drug and alcohol problems, we have peer counselors that have experienced these things. A lot of the times, all they need to do is vent a little bit, but when we see or notice that it's beyond what are listening abilities are, then we will refer them to one of our mental health professionals."



When asked what departments should do if they do not have a mental health department at their facility, Captain Scavarda says the first thing they should do is find a mental health professional who deals with firefighters, law enforcement, or even the military.



Rachel Higginbotham stresses the importance of department members "looking out for each other and if they know that someone's experiencing something traumatic, checking in making sure that they're dealing with that."



One of the best ways to battle stress is by keeping to a daily routine including exercise, eating properly, and most importantly: communication. According to mental health professional Phyllis Cohen, the more people stay healthy on the outside, the healthier they are going to be on the inside during a time of stress and trauma. She also says that unfortunately, firefighters tend not to know that they are under extreme amounts of stress because they are so busy holding back from their emotions.



"We do not like to sit back and watch. We like to be upfront where the action is. That's why we chose the profession that we did. We're not people that are on the sidelines, we want to be in the game," says Captain John Scavarda. "And if we're not in the game, that's when our anxiety levels go up because we all know we can do it better than anybody else. That's just the way we are!"

For more information on the National Volunteer Fire Council's National Firefighter Health Week and links to resources that are available to first responders, go to www.healthy-firefighter.org


Contributors to this story:
Barbara Brooks - Reporter, Video Story
Ann Zevely - Video Editor
Renee Marquart - Text Story

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Author:B. Brooks, A. Zevely and R. Marquart - FDNNTV.com