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 Feinberg School of Medicine by indicated that as it applies to screening incoming students for depression that “”Depression screening is easy to do,” Fleming said “we know it works, and it can save lives.” Research continues in Arizona with a dedicated group examining resiliency training.
Seek out what your options are and let’s make a dent in that statistic!
