Today The Guardian published a well-researched article written by Daliah Singer about stresses the 20,000 wildland firefighters face on the job, including mental health issues. Here is an excerpt from “Burning out: the silent crisis spreading among wildland firefighters.”
“ ‘The exposure to human suffering in the last three years is not something you’d see at a typical day of work at firefighting – entire communities destroyed, loss of human life, loss of wildlife, loss of the landscape that we treasure. That’s not what wildland firefighters signed up to do, but it’s what they’re exposed to,” says Nelda St Clair, who worked in wildland fire for 40 years and is now the national critical incident stress management program manager for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA).
“Mental struggles can become more acute in the offseason, when firefighters lose their connections to their crews and transition from rigorous schedules to quieter lives.
“ ‘[Wildland firefighters] have more risk than the average firefighter because of social disconnection,” says Thomas Joiner, a psychology professor at Florida State University and one of the country’s foremost experts on suicide. A recent study by his team included a sample of wildland firefighters – just 20 individuals – and found that 55% of them reported clinically significant suicidal symptoms compared with 32% of non-wildland firefighters.
“Dr Patricia O’Brien, a clinical psychologist and former hotshot – an intensely trained firefighter working directly on fire lines – expanded those results with a survey of more than 2,500 current and former wildland firefighters. Her early data, which is not yet peer-reviewed or published, shows that rates of self-reported probable depression, generalized anxiety disorder and PTSD, as well as past-year suicidal ideation, past-month binge drinking, heavy alcohol use and smokeless tobacco use were all two to 10 times more prevalent among wildland firefighters than the general public.”
(end of excerpt)
The article refers to research conducted by former hotshot Dr. Patricia o’Brien. Here is an excerpt from the abstract of her work.
“Wildland firefighters in the sample reported relatively high rates of probable depression (17.3%), probable generalized anxiety disorder (12.8%), probable PTSD (13.7%), past year suicidal ideation (20.1%), past-month binge drinking (57%), heavy alcohol use (22%) and smokeless tobacco use (36.9%). These rates were 2-10 times higher than rates typically seen among the general public. Further, data showed a disparity between the prevalence of depression and PTSD identified by the study screening measures and the rates at which participants reported having been diagnosed by a healthcare provider. Finally, wildland firefighters in the study reported exposures to a variety of stressful events. Results of the study provide preliminary research data suggesting that wildland firefighters may be at greater risk of developing mental health conditions than the general public, and that a significant proportion of those conditions are under-detected and under-treated. Findings highlight the need for health surveillance and evidence-based health promotion and illness/injury prevention program development for wildland firefighters, particularly in psychological and behavioral health domains.”
Help is available for those feeling really depressed or suicidal.
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-8255. Online Chat.
- Anonymous assistance from the Wildland Firefighter Foundation: 208-336-2996.
- National Wildland Fire and Aviation Critical Incident Stress Management Website.
- Code Green Campaign, a first responder oriented mental health advocacy organization.
- Would you rather communicate with a counselor by text? If you are feeling really depressed or suicidal, a crisis counselor will TEXT with you. The Crisis Text Line runs a free service. Just text: 741-741
Foundations are okay I guess, some do great things, is it to much to ask that our home agencies do more, I believe there should at a minimum be professional resources in place for folks to talk to at the end of the season or even through out the season, EAP Employee Assistance Program is not enough. managers could do well by receiving training to better equip them to see the tell-tell signs of stress. And certainly educate our FF ranks to be able to evaluate themselves.
Foster a culture that supports talking about this topic with in our peer groups.
The only time in my career I ever received any education is when I went through a very traumatic event on a fire, Critical stress debrief, mostly useless, it took a couple of years to fully process and come to terms with the event. Not Good…..We were taught/told to be tough, shake it off and get back to work….Aughhhhhh!
At the end of a hard season I can attest that a great many of us are left alone to deal with post traumatic stress, it’s real…Having spent many year on a shot crew I know this to be a fact, as a Supt I could see the stress (Cumulative) but did not know what I could do about it, we send them home and get ready to do it again next year.
I know for a fact that it had an impact on my family, it would take a month or two for me to reconnect with my wife and kids, I could try and fake it but my wife new what was up.
I wish I had the understanding and tools to do more for my crews, certainly a regret for me.
When you here that someone you have worked with has taken there own life its hard, heart breaking hard.
We can do more, we have to and as good as foundations are they are not the answer, and to suggest that paying folks a lot more money will fix this is absurd, R U kidding. It’s for the agencies to deal with, they need to be in the lead…..w/help certainly….
Peace…..
Thank you all for taking the time to read Dahlia’s article… we need to stand up as a country and do better. Take care of our forestry technicians and their families.
Good job sharing your story Llew. I can relate to a lot of it. I hope you are doing well in your new life.
I was a, wildland firefighter. It was seasonal. Hotshot. Engine crew. Helitak. Enjoyable, but other than the NPS crews, or with permanent status, it is difficult to maintain as a career of any length. Most are just passing through. Few are over the age of 35. CDF, is a different animal.
As for alcohol use among the profession it typically, precedes the occupation. And many if not most of wildland firefighters are young. ‘We’ smoked weed and engaged in other substances occasionally. Annual drug testing put a cramp in ‘the lifestyle’ – but helped promote ‘testing’ numbers for data crunchers who provided such to plot success or not among politicos, it was convenient and added to PR or propaganda, but that is a side issue. The majority of us who imbibed, it had little to with the profession, though it may speak to a certain psychological profile among wildland firefighters, though, I doubt it.
Besides, wildland firefighters is a very large category among differing agencies and locales. It is a subculture with a wide variety of individuals, who pass thru and go on to something else. As I recall, most are in the profession, as seasonals/temporaries, for approximately 2.5 years. Some crews are made-up primarily of locals. Some are not. Nor is it adequate to compare with structural firefighting. An emerging issue is the ‘privatization’ aka contract crews – which impacts federal employment and a certain professionalism & pride among the USFS, NPS and BLM. Said above CDF is a different animal.
Structural firefighters, an incredibly stressful job and more dangerous than wildfire. To downplay the impacts of such is more than a disservice. While working wildland fire we were trained & certified in structural. It was obvious that there was a greater range of ‘dangerous situations’ and health issues that are unique – mutagenetic substances epidermally absorbed, that cause cancer being just one of many.
I have to omit i was one of these Firefighters, I Retired three years ago as a Fire Captain 23yrs and four years in the Military and i was very burned out with the fires and politics and management not giving a rats ass about there folks own health. I started drinking very heavy after stressful events to try and hide my stress but soon it became a problem. But i have change today and I’m glad this issue is being brought up to peoples attention thanks for sharing and caring. BM, NDF
Foundations and Support Systems are good
AND
the Love needs to be on the Front End.
Love might be $200K a year.
It might be $150K a year.
Expecting people to fight fires when they don’t make enough money to live in today’s society, especially with a terribly Extortive & Extractive health care industry … it’s not realistic.
PS. I read an article that basically said the Russians are giving up on the largest wildfires in Siberia and surrendering. The wildfires in Siberia are apparently larger then all the other fires put together.
Sad. Firefighting is a tough profession. So where is life long politician McClintock on this issue? Why isn’t he pulling hose? Oh, that’s right, he thinks Firefighters are “unskilled labor.” I am sorry but that still takes the cake.
Foundations are one thing & they sound good. But, where are Musk, Ellison, Bezos, Zuckerberg, and the other billion dollar babies? Why aren’t they airing out their collective wallets out? I guess they are “above” that sort of giving.
Can you please update on the Calder fire? My son is on the eldorado hotshots who just returned to base and now are you evacuating . What’s the road situation to Sacramento? Is anyone on the ground there? They just came off McFarland.
Thanks!
Bill, I wrote you several weeks ago about possibly starting a Foundation to assist Firefighters with problems they have: mental, physical, emotional, stress and dealing with what your article just described: written by Daliah Singer. Time is a wasting if we don’t start something to help them.
I liken this to the Game Wardens Foundation or the 11/99 Foundation( For California Highway Patrol families of downed or disabled officers). I support both.
Why don’t we visit and discuss it. I would provide some seed funding to jump start it and publicize it. There are specific Foundation Funds for case by case or maybe there is a general foundation or fund that does this. Please let me know your thoughts.
Bill, there are at least two foundations in this space already, but as far as I know they do not specialize in mental health.
https://ericmarshfoundation.org/
https://wffoundation.org/
As a board member of WFF, I can say that the good news is that we have expanded our support to include mental health injuries just as we have physical injuries and LDD. The foundation has made emergency counseling referrals and has offered financial assistance. I suggest contacting Burk Minor for a full understanding of what the WFF is doing for firefighter mental health these days.
Because the public officers and elected officials cannot and do not have the will to meet and help those in need. Same as why Foundations are needed. I contributed to one, have you?
Try ericmarshfoundation, I did.
Why the governments don’t help? Why need to a foundation to help men and women that work to hard for our country?