Tuesday, February 14, 2012  February 13, 2012
Press Release
 
CONTACT
Peggy Sweeney
The Sweeney Alliance
830.377.7389
peggy@sweeneyalliance.org
sweeney-alliance.org/grievingbehindthebadge/
 
The Sweeney Alliance Offers e-Newsletter for Firefighters, Their Families, and Department Chaplains
 
Peggy Sweeney, the Sweeney Alliance President, Kerrville, TX
 
The emotional health and wellness of firefighters is at risk! Constant exposure to life-threatening and highly stressful events is affecting them physically, mentally, and emotionally. Suicide, divorce, substance abuse, and heart attacks rates among firefighters are the highest in the nation. Furthermore, the rate of 16 to 24 percent for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the fire service is well above the national average (seven to nine percent). It is well esta... [ more ]  

Tuesday, February 14, 2012  Please keep our fellow brothers and sisters in law enforcement in our thoughts and prayers. If you are having thoughts of hurting yourself PLEASE SEEK HELP IMMEDIATELY.
 

Fourth NYPD Suicide
 
NY Post: William C. Lopez
 
Last Updated: 2:07 AM, February 14, 2012
 
A cop killed himself yesterday on his way home after finishing his shift in Queens — becoming the fourth NYPD officer to die by his own hand in less than a month, sources told The Post.
Matthew Schindler, 39, a 14-year veteran and married father of three kids, pulled his car over at about 4:30 p.m. on the eastbound side of the Long Island Expressway near Exit 40 in Jericho and shot himself under the chin, the sources said.
Minutes earlier, Schindler, a highway-safety officer, texted his sergeant to tell him he would not be seeing him anymore.
“He was one of the nicest people we ever met,” said a fami... [ more ]  

Monday, February 13, 2012  It's Time to End the Stigma
Feb 9, 2012
 
 
By Janet Wilmoth, Editorial Director Fire Chief Magazine

My family tree has several branches that were broken off abruptly by suicides. As a young girl, I learned about stigma associated with suicide through the whispers and the church’s refusal to allow a full funeral mass for an uncle who took his own life.
Portia Rawles took on the taboo topic of firefighter suicide in 2003. While we had no reader response to the article, Rawles was surprised to hear that in addition to those in her article, nine more firefighters from across the country had died by their own hands.
Last week’s death of well-respected Ralston (Neb.) Fire Chief Kyle Ienn once... [ more ]  

Tuesday, February 7, 2012  Former Erie firefighter wins lawsuit against city
By LISA THOMPSON, Erie Times-News
lisa.thompson@timesnews.com
 
The city of Erie fired Mary Wolski more than four years ago, saying her decision to set a small fire in a bathtub during a suicide attempt made her unfit to be an Erie firefighter.
 
Eight federal jurors drawn from throughout northwestern Pennsylvania looked at the fire, at Wolski, and her spotless 10-year career and unanimously ruled Monday that the city violated the law and Wolski's rights.
 
With that finding in hand -- the city discriminated against Wolski in violation of the Americans with Disability Act -- U.S. Judge Sean J. McLaughlin immediately ordered the remedy: Wolski, he said, will get her job back, with seniority intact, as soon as the next available position is open.
 
She will receive back pay for her time off the job and any pay she would have earned from Monday... [ more ]  

Monday, February 6, 2012   
Doctor Thomas Joiner shares his theory on suicide.
 
Dr. Joiner presented at the Symposium on Depression and Suicide in the Fire Service on July 11th and 12th, 2011 in Baltimore sponsored by the National Fallen Firefighter Foundation (NFFF). He brought his extensive knowledge and academic insights along with his own journey into the affects of suicide on his own life through the loss of his Father.
 
He is now working with the National Fallen Firefighter Foundation and other leaders in the American Fire Service to understand and unravel the mystery of his type of event as it affects us.
 
From a personal standpoint I found Dr. Joiner’s explanation of suicide ideation to be the easiest for me to relate to why firefighters may be at more risk than the general public. Please see the U-Tube link provided by Mr. Shannon Pennington from North American Firefighter Veteran Network regarding an appearance ... [ more ]  

Saturday, February 4, 2012  Due to the sad events of the past week the IAFC, NFFF and NVFC are working together to provide the type of coordinated support necessary to deal with these behavioral health challenges. Please take the time to read this statement, familialize yourself with the White Paper  located on the NFFF’s Life Safety Initiatives website and if you are looking to further educate yourself on the topic of suicide; I would encourage you to read Why People Die by Suicide by Dr. Thomas Joiner. You can also find an interview with Dr. Joiner here on the Personal Survival page. If we all pull together we can make a difference in this challenge to our firefig... [ more ]  

Wednesday, February 1, 2012  Fire Chief Kyle lenn passes away. Please keep his family, both blood and fire service, in your prayers.
Body on bridge: Ralston fire chief
By Adam Klinker WORLD-HERALD NEWS SERVICE
Posted:  01/31/2012 8:53 AM
A body found hanging from a bridge in central Omaha has been identified as that of Ralston Volunteer Fire Department Chief Kyle Ienn.

Omaha Police discovered Ienn's body shortly after 7:30 a.m. Tuesday morning on a pedestrian bridge near 69th and Pine streets, near the campus of the College of St. Mary.

Police are investigating the death as a suicide.

Ienn was 40.

"It's a really sad day for our community," Ralston Mayor Don Groesser said. "We've lost a dear friend, we've lost our fire chief. The city is just suffering a tremendous loss right now."

Ienn managed the Ace Hardware Store near 55th and Center Streets in Omaha, in addition to overseeing Ralston's fire departme... [ more ]  

Wednesday, February 1, 2012  How many times do we forget a key partner in our emergency response family the dispatcher? They are impacted on a regular basis. Don’t leave them out!
 
Dispatcher: ‘Then I went home. That's when I cried'
By Karen Voyles
Staff writer
Published: Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at 6:32 p.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at 6:32 p.m.
Amid the chaos and confusion of the Sunday morning crashes on Interstate 75 was the calm, reassuring voice of a teenager coming from the Combined Communications Center.
A recording of a 911 call, released by the Alachua County Sheriff's Office, demonstrates the composure that 19-year-old rookie call-taker Leslie Edvalson showed as the horrific incident unfolded.
Edvalson answered one of the first calls made to 911 about the crashes that began around 4 a.m. as the freeway was shrouded in smoke and fog. For nearly 13 mi... [ more ]  

Monday, January 30, 2012  L.A. County firefighters help each other cope with toughest part of the job
By Christina Villacorte, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/29/2012 09:46:26 PM PST
Updated: 01/30/2012 01:26:53 PM PST


 
Los Angeles County Fire Capt. Scott Ross, right, talks over issues with Firefighter Richard Conejo, left, who was recently affected by the death of a fellow firefighter. They meet under the auspices of the L.A. County Fire Department's Peer Support Program. (Brad Graverson/Staff Photographer)
var requestedWidth = 0; if(requestedWidth > 0){ document.getElementById('articleViewerGroup').style.width = requestedWidth + "px"; document.getElementById('articleViewerGr... [ more ]  

Wednesday, January 25, 2012   
How many of us firefighters have children who are battling with the issue of bullying in their young lives? We were not exposed to the impact of social media as it applies to bullying as our kids are. We all had those times people with small brains tried to intimidate us but it usually was one on one. Our kids are not so lucky and sometimes that pain leads to suicidal thoughts. Please see below if it can help.
 
 
Register for the SPRC Research to Practice Webinar on Bullying and Suicide Prevention
"Bullying and Suicide Prevention"
Thursday, February 2, 2012
3:00 – 4:30 PM EST
Many schools and communities are struggling to find effective ways to prevent both bullying and suicidal behavior among youth. This webinar will provide the latest research and science on the relationship between bullying and suicide and will outline some of the shared risk and protective factors. The webinar will also discuss th... [ more ]  

Monday, January 16, 2012  Daily, there are accounts about the ever-increasing waistlines of U.S. citizens.

A study released Monday shows firefighters have higher rates of obesity than the general public.

View Study

Authors of "Addressing the Epidemic of Obesity in the United States Fire Service" wrote: "the number of individuals who are overweight, obese, and unfit has risen to alarming levels in fire departments, both volunteer and career, across our nation."

The National Volunteer Fire Council received a FIRE Act grant to help fund the study conducted by HOPE Health Research Institute.

Heart attacks have been the top killer of fire and rescue personnel across the nation for many years.

Among the key findings of the study include: * Rates of overweight and obese individuals in the fire service are higher than those found in the general public, ranging from ... [ more ]  

Saturday, January 14, 2012  Fayetteville, NC firefighters were reportedly fired upon when they arrived at a call Friday night. Law enforcement was immediately requested and officers were also fired upon. At this time there is a report of an injured police officer, but not from a gunshot wound. You can catch some video and breaking details at: http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/10599387/

 

Tuesday, January 10, 2012  Many times those who battle against mental illness and eventually succumb to the pain and take their lives are looked at as cowards. A very telling view by the famous author Norman Vincent Peale
 
 
 
From an article by Norman Vincent Peale
 
“A few years ago, when a young man died by his own hand, a service for him was conducted by his pastor, the Reverend West Stephens. What he said that day expresses far more eloquently than I can, the message that I’m trying to convey. Here are some of his words:
 
Our friend died on his own battlefield. He was killed in action fighting a civil war. He fought against adversaries that were as real to him as his casket is real to us. They were powerful adversaries. They took toll of his energies and endurance. They exhausted the last vestiges of his courage and his strength. At last these adversaries overwhelmed him. And it appeared that he had lo... [ more ]  

Friday, January 6, 2012    Friday, January 6, 2012 Firefighting the Second-Most Stressful Job in the Nation, White Paper Reports (with Related Video) Jan 5, 2012 11:38 AM By Mary Rose Roberts (maryrose.roberts@penton.com) A new job-stress report by CareerCast.com found that firefighters have the second most-stressful job in the country, exceeded only by those enrolled in the military. The job-stress white paper states that 36% of all workers admit they feel tense or stressed out during their workdays, with 20% reporting that their average daily level of stress is an 8, 9 or 10 on a 10-point scale.  Tony Lee, publisher of CareerCast.com — a free job website — said researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison regularly research and update statistics for the report. Researchers use 11 different... [ more ]