News4Jax
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Following the deaths of three children and their grandmother in a mobile home fire Tuesday in Oceanway, the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department is helping responding firefighters deal with the emotional trauma they experienced.
JFRD Chief Martin Senterfitt said that with so many kids being pulled from the fire, many of the firefighters who are parents themselves are struggling.
“The problem becomes exponential,” Senterfitt said. “When the first person comes out of the house fire, the emotions run high, and then when they pull the second person out, especially a child, it doubles, quadruples. Then they pull the next one out. And by the time you pull the fourth victim out on one of these, everyone’s in a state of shock. They’re still functioning, they’re still performing, but you can see it in their eyes. You can tell that this is staggering to the individuals involved.”
Full story: Firefighters deal with emotional stress of tragic fire