Online courses offer mental health resources for firefighters, EMS personnel

Pennsylvania’s State Fire Commissioner on Wednesday announced online mental health resources for firefighters and emergency services personnel in a move to help dismantle the stigma surrounding seeking mental health services.

“More and more of our first responders are affected by the invisible wounds of traumatic experiences they have been through as part of their jobs,” Commissioner Bruce Trego said.

He acknowledged that, oftentimes, first responders are hesitant to ask for help.

“We now know the potentially devastating effects of this hesitation,” Trego said.

He said physical fitness generally has taken precedence over mental fitness, leading to stress disorders, depression, anxiety and substance-use disorders. He noted that, ultimately, 46% of firefighters involved in a 2015 National Fire Protection Association study had suicidal thoughts, 19% made plans for suicide, and 15.5% attempted suicide.

In 2018, 82 firefighters and 21 EMTs died by suicide, according to reports from the Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance.

“Continuing to ignore the mental health of first responders is simply not an option,” Trego said. “The costs are too great.”

Four online courses are available to fire and EMS personnel covering how to deal with the ongoing covid-19 pandemic, how to handle a bad call and how to support fellow firefighters.