The world today is a dynamic force. It is driven by a global population that continues to strive for growth and change on a daily basis. Fire departments and their officers must adapt to constant change in order to keep traditions alive, so that we may never forget our past while we live in the present and look to the future. They also must adapt to the current generation of firefighters, which represents a new breed.

It is important that the term “new breed” is not viewed in a negative sense. These young men and women are smarter, more in tune with their feelings and more comfortable with technology, having grown up with it at their fingertips. What some are lacking is a sense of tradition and teamwork, as well as knowledge regarding the fire service. In this article we will examine a task that often makes older officers cringe: that is, dealing with the behavioral health and emotions of younger employees.

Not only do officers need to understand the new breed of firefighters, they need to be able to recognize when a member is suffering from emotional or behavioral issues caused by traumas experienced on the job, as well as outside influences in their lives, such as financial hardship, family illness or a significant lifestyle change, such as divorce. Such traumas can affect members in myriad ways.

Some may turn to addictions such as drugs, alcohol and gambling. Others might suffer from depression or profound anger, perhaps to the extent that they will contemplate suicide or homicide. I have spoken with several fire chiefs across the United States whose departments have suffered firefighter suicides. These tragic events hit the very foundation of the fire service because we, as firefighters, want to help others, yet we feel helpless when one of our own takes his life.

Who Can Help

As a guest speaker at the Illinois Fire Chiefs Convention in November 2009, I spoke about the need to increase awareness in the fire service regarding behavioral health, i.e., the actions one is displaying due to stress in one’s life. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a perfect example of a behavior that many within the fire service are exhibiting, but firefighters lack education on how it is affecting them or lack knowledge of where to go for treatment. If a firefighter who is suffering from PTSD doesn’t know what to do or where to go, then to whom do they turn for help? The answer — which I am expounding through fire-officer workshops — is that the person should be able to turn to his officer.

Does that sound scary to you as an officer? It should, if you lack the ability to recognize the signs and symptoms of behavioral and emotional distress. How would you react to one of your firefighters if he said to you, “Can we chat?” Would your first reaction be to tell him to gut it out, just like in the good-old days? Or would you say, “OK, let’s talk.” Would you send him to the department’s employee assistance program, or to its chaplain?

The suggestions offered in this article will not certify you as a counselor. It takes years of education and hundreds of hours working with clients to even scratch the surface of how to assist others with emotional or behavioral problems. During an internship for my master’s degree in counseling, I was afforded a tremendous opportunity to work with clients who were suffering from difficult mental-health issues, yet were always challenging themselves to become more educated and stronger in order to better deal with their disorders.

But what fire officers can do is become educated on the emotional and behavioral-health issues that are moving to the forefront in the fire service. They can understand and apply the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation’s 16 Life-Safety Initiatives. They can pay particular attention to Initiative 13, which reads as follows:

Firefighters and their families must have access to counseling and psychological support.

Educate yourselves on depression, addictions, suicide, stress, anxiety, anger, PTSD and other disorders and phobias. Learn how stress affects people and become familiar with simple coping skills that people can use during some down time, whether at the fire station or at home.

SIDEBAR: Behavioral Health at the Forefront

Another learning key for officers is to know who and where to direct your firefighters should a situation escalate to the point where professional help is needed. Officers should know their department’s procedures for such scenarios. They also should become aware of the advantages and disadvantages of the department’s employee assistance program. Not all fire departments have such a program, so it is important to know where a firefighter in need should be sent.

On that note, does your department have a chaplain? Chaplains are some of the most dedicated men and women in the fire service. They are eager to assist firefighters and their families in times of personal struggles and tragedies. Does your department actively train its chaplain? Does he regularly visit the firehouse?

If you need to locate a chaplain, or train one, contact Jennie Swanson, chaplain of the Hanover Park (Ill.) Fire Department. She is the current president of the Illinois Corps of Fire Chaplains. Another good idea is to contact Chaplain Bill Lotz, who is the director of the Federation of Fire Chaplains’ training institute.