SPOKANE, Wash. — The Spokane Fire Department is aiming to improve firefighter mental health by contracting a psychologist to meet with firefighters to address any issues.
KHQ.com reported that the fire department, along with other departments across the country, is beginning to see a spike in cases of PTSD and suicides. One year ago, the department contracted first responder psychologist Dr. Christen Kishel to help.
“People were ostracized,” Assistant Chief Brian Schaeffer said. “We wanted to change things. It will give them more tools to deal with the trauma they deal with every day.”
Dr. Kishel holds seminars and private sessions for firefighters battling mental health issues. The department is currently focusing on building a critical incident stress management team to act as peer support.
“PTSD is a huge issue in fire suppression,” Dr. Kishel said. “They’ve seen, really the dark side of life. The things you see and can’t unsee.”
The goal of the peer support team is for firefighters to recognize problematic symptoms in their colleagues and be able to help them before it’s too late.
“My personal goal is that no firefighter leaves the profession out of fear, out of anger, out of depression, out of resentment,” Dr. Kishel said.