San Diego starts program to aid firefighters' mental health
FILE - Firefighters fight against the Creek Fire which started Friday afternoon, blew up and grew to 73,278 acres on September 06, 2020, in Shaver Lake, Fresno County, California, United States. (Photo by Neal Waters/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, Calif. - The San Diego Fire Department has introduced a program that pairs service dogs and chaplains with firefighters to provide emotional support for work-related trauma.
The program is the first of its kind in the U.S., the Los Angeles Times reported on Monday.
“It’s another resource that we can offer to our folks to cope with what they see day in and day out,” San Diego Fire-Rescue Department Chief Colin Stowell said.
Bodie, a 2-year-old Labrador retriever, Ty, a 6-year-old mini goldendoodle and Genoa, a 2-year-old Labrador retriever will join the department’s ranks.
The canine and chaplain teams have completed more than 120 hours of training and will be retested every three months for their first year. The department currently employs 17 chaplains.
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The teams help with other wellness efforts such as a peer support program and counseling services.
“There’s not one size that fits all when it comes to the mental health of our firefighters,” Stowell said.
He said traumatic incidents from throughout a firefighter’s career can “trigger an acute response — or over the years, it builds up.”
Studies have shown that post-traumatic stress disorder, binge drinking and depression occur in higher per capita figures in firefighters than among the general population.
Stowell said suicide rates among firefighters have been on the rise across the nation for the last decade. A Rancho Santa Fe Protection District captain who had worked in the fire department for 31 years committed suicide in November after what the agency said was a lengthy battle with PTSD.
“As fire chiefs we want to do whatever we can to never have our members experience that loss that Rancho Santa Fe felt,” said Stowell, who spoke at the captain’s memorial service.
Stowell and Battalion Chief David Picone acknowledged that their staff does face stigmas that prevent them from reaching out for help.
“For our firefighters, lifeguards, dispatchers, reaching out is sometimes difficult, as it is for the rest of society, but much more for us first responders,” Picone said. “We typically are the helpers, not the ones who need help.”
The two hope the new program helps brings some comfort to their employees and helps them open up.
“It’s OK to be not OK,” Picone said.
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