Monday, August 15, 2011 
Peggy Sweeney
Before we can learn to cope with pain and grief, we must first understand why we feel and respond to traumatic events as we do. In any loss (divorce, loss of a friendship or job, or geographical relocation) there is grief and mourning. Grief is the emotional, physical, mental, and even spiritual responses human beings experience when their dreams and plans for life take an unexpected turn. Mourning is our outward expression (such as crying) to these feelings. A small loss experience, such as a rained out ballgame or a broken promise, can cause grief. We are disappointed, saddened, or angry at the outcome. We unwillingly must surrender control of a situation to unforeseen circumstances or to another person. Grief and mourning are normal, healthy responses. Each one of us journeys through grief in our own way and on our own time schedule.
When our loved one dies suddenly (auto accident, heart attack, line of duty death) we experience immediate grief... [ more ]  

Friday, August 12, 2011  From Philly.Com August 10, 2011 By Leah Roman and Jennifer Taylor
Last week's news that the late Philadelphia firefighter John "Jack" Slivinski would be featured on the cover of the "Nation's Bravest" calendar reminded us of media coverage of his suicide in June. It was often at odds with recommendations for reporting on suicide released this year by a consortium of public health, suicide prevention, Internet safety, and journalism experts.
Slivinski's suicide was the subject of intense coverage, but the concerns it raises are not unique. Just in the past two weeks, there was extensive reporting on the suicides of Rudolf Alexandrov, a Chestnut Hill College professor, and Jeret "Speedy" Peterson, an Olympic skier.


After Slivinski's death in June, NBC10 tweeted the headline "Calendar Firefighter Shoots Self in Head." Philly.com's banner headline was "Firefighter who posed shirtless committed suicide." The Philadelphia media also ... [ more ]  

Sunday, August 7, 2011  Firefighter Netcast- Recognizing and Preventing Fire Service Suicides
August 1, 2011
If interested in a discussion involving the topics of depression and suicide in the fire service access the link below
 
http://www.firefighternetcast.com/2011/08/firefighter-netcast-recognizing-and-preventing-fire-service-suicides/



 

Monday, July 18, 2011  Family sues city over death
Struggling firefighter committed suicide after given ultimatum
Written by Stacey Barchenger (StatetsmanJournal.com)
July 16, 2011
The family of a 20-year Salem firefighter who killed himself nearly two years ago is suing the city, claiming wrongful death and negligence.
Bryan Baxter, the son-in-law and a representative of firefighter Craig Warren's estate, is seeking $4.15 million in damages. The claim was filed July 5 in Marion County Circuit Court, and the city has yet to respond.
"We've received the complaint and we're evaluating the complaint to file a responsive pleading," Salem Deputy City Attorney Sean Brady said. He declined to comment on the allegations in the complaint document.
Warren suffered psychological problems related to his work and committed suicide July 31, 2009, after the city conducted an investigation and gave him an ultimatum to resign or... [ more ]  

Wednesday, July 13, 2011  Subject matter experts in the field such as Doctors Richard Gist, Matthew Nock, Thomas Joiner and Lanny Berman presented to the group on topics ranging from Understanding Incidence and Epidemiology of Suicide to the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide Behavior and Current Best Practices in Suicide Intervention.
 
The objectives were to help Critically evaluate current empirical information on the incidence and epidemiology of suicide and apply to observed trends in the fire service;

Plan strategies and mechanisms to translate identified best practices and prevention/intervention options into programs that can be disseminated and applied in ... [ more ]  

Thursday, July 7, 2011 
New York Times. Gen. Peter Chiarelli, who was honored by AFSP in March for his suicide prevention work within the military, is also quoted in a  

Tuesday, July 5, 2011  Another sad story that reflects the urgency to reach out to our fellow firefighters as well as the magnitude of the problem that we face as emergency workers as it applies to mental health.  What are you doing about it personally and professionally?
Please Keep the Dickerson family, both immediate and fire department family in your prayers.
 
Body of missing Forest Service Wildland Firefighter, 32, recovered from Oakridge area.
Steven Dickerson had left a note indicating that he was despondent.
 

Tuesday, June 28, 2011  NOTE:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------In 2004, a friend of Slivinski's, Lt. Derrick Harvey, died when he went into a house fire to help Slivinski and another Firefighter. A friend said Slivinski kept a small memorial to Harvey in his home, using Harvey's helmet. Besides his Dad, he is survived by his wife, Carla; his mother, Gerry; and a sister, Jennifer Wysocki.
Suicide is a very real issue in our service-but one we struggle to talk about, reach out about-or certainly even deal with personally. But it is very real. It may be easy to suggest people "suck it up" - but it's not that simple. Whatever the issue is, it is For example, 4 Phoenix Firefighters took their own lives in a 7 month period:more ]  

Wednesday, June 15, 2011   
I started my career in the fire service early, following in my father’s footsteps just as many others have done. I started on a volunteer department and tested into a full-time job on a neighboring department.
I took many classes that put my family second for a while. They stood by me and are quite proud of my accomplishments. I continued to test to get on the Battalion Chiefs list. There was one opening due to a retirement with three of us testing. I ended up number two on the list and was happy with that, because things change and you will never know what is in your future. Things change!
I happened to be the last to see him as he left after his shift. Things seemed normal. We had our normal conversations and he left. I was not ready for the phone call later that morning.
I was known as ‘the person who is replacing Pat ‘, and not as the newly promoted B/C. As someone prepares for retirement, there is time to teach the re... [ more ]  

Wednesday, June 1, 2011  A survey by the International Fire Chiefs Association almost 5 years ago asked this very question and found that 98.6% of all departments surveyed did not include any evaluation of the firefighter’s mental health. I am of the opinion from my brief travels that the percentage has not witnessed a measureable change in the ensuing 5 years.
However I do know that the issue is being tackled on many fronts. The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation will be holding a two day seminar in Baltimore this July in their continued quest to address the 13th Life Safety Initiative of providing firefighters and their families with psychological counseling.
Below is a story about one research group in Washington State looking into that very issue. In addition a recent study published in the January issue of the American Journal of Orthopsychiatry found that students could be screened for depression prior to entry. Dr. Michael Fleming from the Northwestern University’s Fei... [ more ]  

Friday, May 27, 2011  This 30-minute program from the Firefighters Support Foundation covers the topic in depth. It is presented by Dr. Anne Bisek, a psychologist practicing in Fremont, California. Dr. Bisek is the mental health professional on the San Mateo CISD team and provides debriefings for the California Highway Patrol. Most public safety professionals have been given very little information on this subject beyond possibly a brochure at one time. In this program, Dr. Bisek discusses questions she has found that first responders often have about seeking therapy, including these:

• How do we know when it’s time to see a professional?
• How do I find a therapist that is right for me?
• Does the therapist need to be a (or a former) public safety professional?
• Is it always PTSD that fir... [ more ]  

Thursday, April 28, 2011 

A Path out of Depression
There's a reason that most so-called primitive cultures have avoided the depression epidemic afflicting industrialized nations. In a provocative book, a clinical psychologist suggests that adopting more "hunter-gatherer" habits can help us escape the blues.
By Stephen Ilardi, PhD / May 2011
According to the latest research, about one in four Americans — more than 70 million people — will meet the criteria for major depression at some point in their lives. The rate of depression in industrialized societies has been on the rise for decades — it’s roughly 10 times higher today than it was just two generations ago. How can people possibly be so much more vulnerable to depression now? And how do you make sense of the fact that even though antidepressant use has skyrocketed in recent years, the rate of depression in the United States hasn’t declined, but rather increased?

As a clinical psychologist, I ... [ more ]  

Monday, April 18, 2011  Proposed Removal of CISM/CISD considerations from NFPA 1500
You may not be aware that there is a proposed amendment that specifically deletes reference to CISD/CISM as a required or desirable course of action for dealing with firefighters involved with behavioral health challenges.
Until I began to speak a couple of years ago about the issue of mental health challenges in the fires service and the lack of understanding and acknowledgement of such; I had no idea of the national debate on the effectiveness or lack thereof regarding CISD/CISM.
Now there is a proposal to remove that section from NFPA 1500 due to what is felt to be, not only an ineffective process but sometimes may even causes a detrimental effect. There is research cited by the author to verify such claims. There are alternative procedures proposed in the amended version to replace CISM/CISD.
This proposal is authored by Dr. Richard Gist, from the University of Missouri- Kansa City ... [ more ]  

Tuesday, April 5, 2011  On The Brink of Disaster  
           

This is story of heroism under the extreme conditions and unbeatable odds. Similar stories of such unparalleled courage and bravery have played out time and again across America when first responders face death to save other people’s lives. If you ask most of them afterwards they’ll tell you they don’t feel like a hero. The media instantly turns these people into supermen by making them overnight sensations as their heroic stories get beamed into our living rooms, computers and smart phones as the events are unfolding.
            In every sense of the word Ryan Cooper is a hero. It’s not something he would have chosen for himself but his lifesaving actions are well documented. If you asked him about that day, July 10, 2007, he would tell you “I did what any other police officer, firefighter or ... [ more ]