TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL)-- New research shows that firefighters and paramedics experience Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) at the same rate as combat veterans. One Tallahassee Fire Captain is hoping to change how local firefighters mental and emotional health needs are being met.
Researchers from the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) in Austin, Texas believed the traumatic situations stem from car accidents to mass casualty incidents.
Captain Mike Bellamy of the Tallahassee Fire Department said it is important for lawmakers to understand the mental and emotional affects these jobs can have on them. "Over 50 percent of firefighters have considered suicide as a result of the compounding stress of all these traumatic calls they respond to throughout their career," he said.
Bellamy is one of more than 3,000 first responders taking part in a week-long conference in Las Vegas to discuss ways states can help with PTSD. "Locally in Tallahassee we are partnering with our behavioral health specialist, our local hospitals and working on a peer network throughout the state right now," he said.
In addition to a higher rate of the disorder, the amount of first responders with cancer is rising. According to the IAFF report, the number-one cause of death among firefighters is from occupational exposures to the toxins, carcinogens, and diesel exhaust.
Currently, only one state in the U.S. has added first responders to the list of occupations that can receive health benefits for PTSD. Bellamy hopes to see new benefits closer to home. "We'd like to see the state of Florida step up and take the same considerations," he said.
