Health

HE A LTH • Spring 2019 17 Sources: Ruderman Family Foundation (suicides, deaths in the line of duty), Florida State University (firefighter survey), National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (medical responders survey) National first responders' mental health Police Department's stress program. "It goes around the table," he said. "We watch them and see what they have to say." The Feb. 24 car accident, in which a pedestrian lost his legs when struck by an alleged drunk driver, was not so unusual in a profession used to seeing and hearing traumatic incidents – and that's when their own lives aren't put in danger. But the incident ushered in a new era for the Worcester Police Department. Mahan said he can recall early in his four-decade career when few officers would talk at all about their emotions and were much more likely to turn to alcohol to cope. The Worcester Police Department isn't alone. Surveys have shown high rates of depression and suicide have forced first responders across the coun- try to overcome stigma around mental illness and directly address what is now widely seen in the field as a major health issue. Martin Dyer, a deputy chief in the Worcester Fire Department, has seen a drastic improvement in how firefighters have become proactive in talking about the emotional damage the job can have. "We're very cognizant on the toll this can have on our firefighters," said Dyer, a 15-year veteran of the department. "The stigma is pretty much gone in this department." For Worcester firefighters in particu- lar, it isn't hard to wonder why the job can take a mental toll. The department suffered the death of firefighter Christopher Roy in a house fire in December. In 1999, six firefighters were lost in the infamous Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse fire on Franklin Street. In 2011, firefighter Jon Davies Sr. was killed in a triple-decker fire. Troubling data For many first responders, stresses of the job go beyond what a typical office worker will experience during a shift. The Ruderman Family Foundation, a Boston nonprofit whose philanthropy focuses on the disabled, commissioned a study last year and found firefighters and police officers in the country were more likely to die in 2017 of suicide than in the line of duty. The foundation found 243 firefighters and police officers who died of suicide that year, but even that total may be low. The Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance, based in Arizona, estimates roughly 40 percent of firefighter sui- cides are reported. The Ruderman Family Foundation's results can be surprising, said Miriam Heyman, a senior program officer for the foundation, in part because many find responders to be indestructible. Deaths to suicide are hidden enough, she said, that police officers who take their own lives aren't included in a national monument to officers killed in the line of duty, keeping the issue large- ly hidden and one often not seen as a common occupational hazard. "These forces of shame and stigma and secrecy are especially ingrained in these professions of bravery and cour- age," Heyman said. "Of course the job exerts a toll on people's mental health. We'd be surprised if it wasn't." Other research shows widespread cause for worry. A team of Florida State University professors reported in 2015 a study 47 percent of firefighters had thought about suicide at some point in their careers. Nearly 16 percent reported attempting suicide. Firefighters at lower ranks and with less career service were found to have higher rates of suicidal thoughts. A report the International Association of Fire Fighters published in 2016 said stress levels for firefighters and paramedics was comparable to that of combat veterans. "When you see something acutely traumatic, it's normal to have some kind of effect of that in the time immedi- ately following the incident," Sean Britton, the chair of the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians' emergency medical ser- vices workforce committee. There are signs nationally more could be done to respond to first responders' mental health needs. A 2016 survey of nearly 2,200 emer- gency medical technicians, paramedics and others in the industry by the the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians found 46 percent of respondents' employers provided mental health services and 59 percent said they knew were to turn for help at their workplace if they needed it. Continued on Page 18 Number of firefighter and police officer suicides in 2017 Number of firefighter and police officer deaths in the line of duty in 2017 Firefighters who thought about suicide at some point in their careers Firefighters who reported attempting suicide Emergency medical responders who said their employers provide mental health services Emergency medical responders who say they know where to turn for help at their workplace if they need it 243 222 47% 16% 46% 59% Millbury firefighters gather around after fighting a house fire in town. John Mahan, Worcester Police Department stress program ALL PHOTOS/EDD COTE

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