Listen to this very special firefighter's podcast here

Over the past few days and weeks, the fire service news has been inundated with stories of firefighters who have taken their own lives. It’s times like these which force us to pause and realize that the mental health challenges we face every day are truly no different than any physical challenge such as a bum back or sprained knee that keeps us from operating at our best. Why then are we treating these obstacles in such a different way?

The truth is that now, more than ever before, our brothers and sisters in the fire and EMS services, along with our families, have an incredible amount of new resources with which to assist us as we begin to change our attitudes toward the way we address these issues which have always been there, but we were always afraid to confront. The result is that more and more of us are emerging from our behavioral issues as much more healthy, productive, and happy firefighters, moms, and dads.

Now that’s great news.

Firefighter Netcast is suspending our regular programming schedule to bring you re-broadcasts of some of this great news so we can apply it as its needed- starting today. One of our most listened-to shows was originally netcast late last summer and features two special guests who lead a thought-provoking discussion on firefighter behavioral health.

Battalion Chief Jeff Dill of the Palatine Rural Fire Protection District in suburban Chicago is an Illinois licensed counselor of behavioral issues specifically for firefighters. He formed “Counseling Services For Firefighters” to offer just that- firefighters who know where firefighters are coming from and thus are best quipped to relate and help their brothers and sisters. Chief Dill is joined by another suburban Chicago Fire Chief- Pat Kenny, retired chief from the Hinsdale and Western Springs fire departments. Chief Kenny is the Assistant Executive Director of the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association and a representative at the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation Seminar on Depression and Suicide held last summer in Baltimore. Moreover, Chief Kenny is the father of Sean Kenny, who took his own life back in 2004. Listen to Chief Kenny as he offers a firsthand account of what its like to go through the torture of having lost your son to suicide, and how to deal with his loss publicly as a chief officer in his own department.

It’s very powerful stuff, and I hope you’ll join us for the next few days as we bring you all of the segments of this amazing show. It’s our hope that we can learn to approach these issues we face with a new attitude, and realization that we are winning these battles, just as we have overcome countless challenges over the storied history of this, the greatest service on earth.  

B/C Dill is a nationally recognized authority on behavioral health issues within the fire service. He established Counseling Services for Fire Fighters, LLC based on the tragic events that surrounded Hurricane Katrina. When speaking with firefighters who returned after serving the community of New Orleans, Jeff heard the pleas of firefighters who had a difficult time talking with counselors who did not have any firefighting experience. They became frustrated and never did seek the help they needed. In this program, Chief Dill tells us about a new resource coming to the aid of the fire service. Last year, Chief Dill announced the formation of Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance (FBHA). The new 501(c) (3) organization was established to directly educate firefighters/ Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel and their families about behavioral health issues such as depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), anxiety and addictions, as well as firefighter suicides. FBHA's sole goal is to promote good mental health to the men and women of the fire service/EMS and their families, as well as make a significant difference in reducing the numbers of firefighters who are turning to suicide to ease their pain. FBHA Founder Jeff Dill holds a Master's Degree in Counseling, and is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Illinois.

Joining Chief Dill will be a very special guest- retired Fire Chief Patrick Kenny of the Hinsdale (IL) Fire Department. Chief Kenny is the Assistant Executive Director of the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association and a representative at the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation Seminar on Depression and Suicide.

Tragically, in 2006, Chief Kenny lost his son Sean to suicide. He reflects on the obstacles and challenges he faced as a father as well as a chief officer during his personal nightmare. Since then, Chief Kenny has traveled across the nation and around the world sharing his intensely personal story and promoting advocacy of mental health awareness in the fire service and beyond.

Find out more by visiting any the links above, or browsing these others:

"A Father's Grief"

Share on Facebook

“It’s good to be strong and it’s good to be courageous. But it’s also good to ask for help. “If I had a good friend who said, ‘you need to get some help,’ I would listen. I would hope somebody would do that.” Fire Chief Bob Khan, Phoenix Fire Department, which lost four firefighters in seven months to suicide.

Whether we admit it or not, we are not immune to the effects of the unique stress we cope with each day as firefighters.

Many times, we keep these stressors bottled up inside us without seeking help.  Other times, when we do seek help, we have a difficult time trying to relate to counselors who have zero experience as a firefighter, and become frustrated, eventually abandoning outside help often critical to our well-being.

Tonight, Firefighter Netcast introduces Jeff Dill, a Battalion Chief from suburban Chicago, who holds a Masters Degree in Counseling.  Chief Dill has established CSSF, Counseling Services for Firefighters, which offers behavioral health support to firefighters; trains senior fire officers, and educates clinicians on the benefits of understanding the life and emotions- of firefighters.

The numbers of firefighter suicides are jaw-dropping. As often as a few times a week, Jeff finds himself answering calls for help from fire chiefs around the country.

Join the Firefighter Netcast Show tonight at 9pm ET for a live interview with Chief Dill, and learn how to recognize emotional distress in your partner or your loved one, and the steps you can take to help- before it’s too late.  Participate in call-ins and chat room discussions.

This ain’t your daddy’s fire service radio podcast!

Jeff holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling. He is currently a Battalion Chief at Palatine Rural Fire Protection District in Inverness, Illinois. He is a member of the American Counseling Association, Illinois Counseling Association, Illinois Mental Health Counselors Association, Illinois Fire Chiefs Association, International Association of Fire Chiefs and Illinois Professional Firefighter’s Association. Jeff is also an alumni member of International Association of Fire Fighters.  He is dedicated to educating firefighters and emergency personnel on the importance of behavioral health and suicide awareness.

CSFF Web Page

Facebook

Share on Facebook

This is going to be a rant.  Maybe I can counterbalance today’s post that includes dead babies with a more light-hearted post tomorrow- perhaps about cute puppies?

~   ~   ~   ~   ~

My wife turned to me today and asked, “Do you think this country is falling apart?  Maybe we should get our passports renewed.”

Her question is timely, as for the past week or so, the news has been full of crazy, extremist, wingnuts publicly going off the deep-end.

The arrests this week of the Hutaree members comes amid what the Southern Poverty Law Center, an Alabama nonprofit that tracks extremism, has called “an explosion of new extremist groups and activism across the nation.” The organization has cited the economic downturn as a major reason for the change, and contends that the far right has been particularly animated by the election of the nation’s first black president.

Those groups “came roaring back after years out of the limelight,” Mark Potok, director of the SPLC Intelligence Project, wrote in the group’s latest report. Last week, a new Harris poll reveals that 24 percent -repeating now, 24 percent- of Republicans say Obama “may be the Antichrist.”

So what’s a stump-jumpin’, ridge-runnin’ “Christian foot soldier” armed to the hilt who never outgrew playing army, creating an organization with a rank structure straight out of Pokemon to do?

“Preparing for the end time battles to keep the testimony of Jesus Christ alive” -Hutaree.com

From top left, David Brian Stone Sr., 44, of Clayton, Mich,; David Brian Stone Jr. of Adrian, Mich,; Jacob Ward, 33, of Huron, Ohio; Tina Mae Stone. Bottom row from left: Michael David Meeks, 40, of Manchester, Mich,; Kristopher T. Sickles, 27, of Sandusky, Ohio; Joshua John Clough, 28, of Blissfield, Mich.; and Thomas William Piatek, 46, of Whiting, Ind. (U.S. Marshall / Associated Press)

Yesterday, this from From The Detroit News:

Nine members of a Lenawee County-based militia group were planning to “levy war” against the United States and “oppose by force” the nation’s government, according to an indictment unsealed this morning in U.S. District Court in Detroit.

They had plans to kill a local law enforcement official and, once officers from across the country came to the funeral, to attack the funeral procession, the indictment alleges.

Because, apparently that is what Jesus would do.

Don’t we as first responders already have enough to worry about? This brings to mind this Pulitzer Prize winning photo by Charles H. Porter IV.  It captures a moment in the life of Oklahoma City Firefighter Chris Fields, who on what is arguably the worst call on the worst day of his life, carries Baylee Almon, who became a dead baby shortly after the Murrah Federal Building was bombed in 1995.

Accept my apologies for exposing you to the graphic image from that tragic day.  But it bears close scrutiny in order to put the events of these last few days into some sort of perspective.

Imagine what could be going through Chris’s mind as he stares down at the face of such an innocent angel.  Man, how does he still deal with that?

My brothers and sisters, home-grown terrorists who care not about killing babies and massacring cops at a policeman’s funeral don’t give a damn about you or your safety.  In their dimly-lit skulls, these nutjobs are readying themselves for the violence of The Rapture, justifying their mission as following the teachings of the Christian faith.

You know- Thou Shalt Kill.

It’s not just extremist Muslims, folks.

It’s Frank from the car dealership and Jim Bob from the bait store.  Another homegrown threat (again from Michigan) reminds us that terrorism is alive and well and thriving in the hearts and minds of those among us right here in the good old United States who call themselves Christian foot soldiers.

Because, apparently that is what Jesus would do.

Remember that scene safety is still at the top of the priority pyramid.

Be careful out there folks. It’s nuttier than ever.

Share on Facebook

I used to see myself as far from being an alarmist.  Before uttering a response or invoking a knee-jerk emotion, I felt some pride knowing that I would first take the time to figure out what was being presented, then formulate an informed and measured response/decision/reaction.

Not any more.  I was pulled into the alarmist culture for the last half of a year.

Somehow, the “sky is falling” cries made it deep within my brain and took root, germinating and slowly developing into a plant of deep concern.  Health organizations and government agencies around the world were warning us to prepare for a pandemic of pandemic proportions.

To his credit, Mick Mayers over at Firehouse Zen blogged last April about putting the media hype on the upcoming tragedy into perspective. How right he was!

Katy bar the door!

Pronouncements and prognostications that fully one third of the U.S. population would become ill with the H1N1 virus, claiming the lives of hundreds of zillions around the world.  Especially at risk were those around me that I loved the most- the children.  Who will protect the children?

This wasn’t the first time I had been duped by these Chicken Littles.

Howabout that Avian (Bird) Flu of 2007?  That was to be a major event.  Although many were sickened and some lost their lives, it was not the end of days we were led to believe might occur.   Human cases of bird flu peaked in 2006 at 115, with 79 deaths. The number has since declined, with 73 human cases and 32 deaths in 2009, the WHO said.

This week, the World Health Organization (WHO) is still singing that tune, like the song you can’t get out of your head with a fresh report warning that the danger still exists.

Oh, and remember SARS?  That was back earlier in the decade.  We were taught to be careful of airline travelers and birdies.

And mosquitoes that bite the birdies.

And Canadians.  Especially Torontonians.

Just kidding abooot dat, my puck-lovin’ friends!

Although we should be happy that the cataclysmic apocalypse has not yet happened, the truth is that it still may at some point in the future.  So how effective will the warnings from WHO and other government agencies be?  Falling short on the previous readings of their crystal balls, methinks most will refuse to pay attention when the feces truly hits the fan….

So what’s a previously mild-mannered, even-heeled, children-loving firefighter paramedic supposed to do?

I know! I’ll check to see if there are any expiration dates on the case of N95’s up in the attic…

Share on Facebook

Sometimes I feel the need to “glove up” when not at work, know what I mean?

Want a pair?   Really?   Wow, OK.  Click the pic…

Share on Facebook

The pandemic sweeping across the country and the world brought at least one interesting question to mind that had previously not been considered:

If your agency is tasked with providing front-line medical care to those affected with the H1N1 virus, does your employer have the right to force you to be vaccinated or face being fired?

Many of us have already decided if we want to get the vaccinations.  But the ability for us to make our own decision is not so easy for some who want to stay employed.

Citing the “public health emergency”, some agencies feel it necessary to ensure its full compliment of workers is inoculated and ready to serve by taking the decision away from the employee.

In an earlier post, FireDaily.com brought you the story of a Chicagoland firefighter paramedic weighing his options. He posed several questions, many of which are coming to light all across the country as we speak.

We now have an update to the story we brought you on the three separate lawsuits, including one by New York’s second-largest state employees union, which prompted a NY State Supreme Court Justice to issue a Temporary Restraining Order barring mandatory vaccinations for certain health care workers.

New York State Health Commissioner Richard Daines had previously forced these workers to either take both the seasonal and H1N1 vaccinations by November 30 or face disciplinary action up to and including termination.

Although the next hearing date is set for later this week, the shortage of available vaccine has served to defuse the conflict, at least temporarily.

New York public health workers are no longer be required to take the vaccines, according to a statement from Governor David Paterson.

“The CDC acknowledged that New York would only receive approximately 23 percent of its anticipated vaccine supply,” Paterson said. “As a result, we need to be as resourceful as we can with the limited supplies of vaccine currently coming into the state.”

Production issues and increased demand has radically decreased the availability of the H1N1 vaccine.  The CDC had initially estimated 40 million doses would be available by the end of this week.  The revised number is now only 27.7 million doses.

Although the decision by New York authorities leave those declining the vaccines breathing a little easier, the conflict still remains without resolution.  Until then, health care workers across the nation are still uncertain if their right to decide what goes into their bodies can ultimately result in losing their jobs.

How is your agency handling this issue?

Stay tuned as FireDaily.com will continue to bring updates to this developing situation.

-J

Share on Facebook

In my blog posted October 8 here on FireDaily.com, I addressed some of the concerns of my buddy, Brett, a local firefighter/paramedic, regarding flu vaccinations for first responders. One of his questions: Could his employer, in the name of public safety, force him to get vaccinated against his will as a term of his employment?

Well, let the games begin.

Earlier today, Acting New York State Supreme Court Justice Thomas J. McNamara granted a temporary restraining order against mandated flu vaccinations for certain health care workers.

The New York Health Commission had previously ordered that certain employees must be vaccinated for both the seasonal and the H1N1 flu by November 30 or face the possibility of disciplinary action, including dismissal.

Three nurses from the Albany Medical Center claimed the regulation violates their civil rights. The New York State United Teachers Union and the New York State Public Employees Federation also sued. McNamara merged all three lawsuits under the restraining order and set a court date for October 30.

Of course, this was bound to happen. And I fully expect similar cases to arise at the state and local levels all across the country in the upcoming days and weeks.

So, do you think the government has the right to dictate your health care decisions during a pandemic?

-J

FireDaily.com will continue following all the developments on the pandemic, specifically its effects on first responders.

Share on Facebook