ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — In a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday, May 9, the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH), a CDC agency that conducts research and provides training, data and publication, said first responders are at a high risk of occupational exposure to traumatic events and stress.
Included in the technical list by the CDC were firefighters (structural and wildland), law enforcement officers, EMS clinicians and corrections personnel.
With the report, the CDC is emphasizing the importance and need for mental health programs for first responders.
Asheville Fire Department Capt. Welcker Taylor, also president of the Asheville Fire Fighters Association, spoke with News 13 on Friday, May 10, explaining what firefighters goes through on a daily basis.
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“We work a lot of hours. We work 24 hours shifts, and our schedules work out to where we’re gone from our families for a whole day,” he said. “We don’t sleep very much. We deal with a lot of sleep deprivation. Last shift, we were up at 1 o’clock, 3 o’clock, 5 o’clock — and all of us have families or our partners work. We have kids we need to take care of.”
For firefighters, it’s a daily struggle that affects their mental health and their ability to work effectively.
“We’re just exposed to all sorts of bad stuff all the time. We are going to people’s worst days, and we are the ones who need to bring calm and professionalism,” Taylor said. “We can do that on scene, but all those little things that we see take a toll on us over time. Whether it’s a kid who’s hurt or in trouble or an old person who reminds us of our grandparents, those things start to add up over time and it wears away at you. We carry that stuff with us, we carry it home with us. We see things.”
Taylor says at times, it’s hard to get back to a place of balance.
“There are streets in Asheville that I don’t drive down because I went on a terrible call there, and if I drive down that street, it’s like it all comes back,”Taylor shared. “I get goose bumps and even get tears in my eyes.”
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He is not alone.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration, about 30% of first responders develop PTSD and depression.
Rick Baker, founder of Responder Support Services, emphasized the need for mental health support and is on a daily mission to provide that.
“Everybody that works with us has hidden depths, training in the evidence-based treatments that has shown to be effective for PTSD,” Baker said. “The treatment has to be adapted and be a little bit different for them than it is for the general population.”
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Responder Support Services offers evidence-based health services to first responders agencies in North Carolina since 2017.
The service provides oversight and post-critical incident services to first responders across all disciplines, in North Carolina’s 22 westernmost counties.
First responders in need of help can reach the services line at (828) 333-5708. They are available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. They also offer after hours/crisis line, which can be reached at (828) 209-8038.
To read more on the latest from the CDC on mental health in the public safety sector, click here: