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Into The Flames: Understanding PTSD Among Firefighter

Firefighters do one of the most heroic jobs in the world. They save lives everyday,

independently from the situation. They fight a lot of challenges that many people don't notice.

Firefighting is an important part of the community in many ways. Firefighting takes bravery and

courage; firefighters are heroes that rush into burning buildings to save lives and property from

fires. However, being a firefighter can be very challenging and can sometimes lead to a disorder

called PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). PTSD can happen among firefighters overtime due

to an overload of stress and the traumatic things you see and experience as a firefighter. These

experiences can stay long after the fire is out. Symptoms of PTSD can be having flashbacks of

scenes, trouble sleeping and nightmares.

The Development Of PTSD

To what exposure does traumatic events play a role in firefighters and PTSD? This

question opens up to a lot of different firefighters and how much exposure that individual can take

before being diagnosed with PTSD. By researching different firefighters and analyzing their

behavior overtime, we can see what intensity of exposure caused that individual to have PTSD.

Firefighters have better support systems then they once did for PTSD and they are able to indicate

which exposures have caused past firefighters to struggle with PTSD. They can try to avoid that

happening over again and keep firefighters safe. In conclusion the level of exposure that a

firefighter can take before developing PTSD is primarily based on the individual and how well

they are mentally and being able to leave traumatic events at work.

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 Effects Of PTSD

Insung wrote an article called “Relationship between burnout and PTSD symptoms in

firefighters: the moderating effects of a sense of calling to firefighting”. This article takes a deeper

dive into the lives of firefighters who are dealing with PTSD or burnout. These can seem similar

but they are not, PTSD is caused by witnessing, experiencing, or hearing about a traumatic event,

whereas burnout is caused by work characteristics such as workload. “Firefighting has been

reported to lead to burnout and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, burnout and PTSD

symptoms may vary depending on personal characteristics” (Insung). Firefighting can take a toll

on not only your physical well being but also it can have a major impact on your mental well

being. “Being professionals, fire- fighters typically work in a tense environment to prepare for

emergencies in which they might encounter and be required to handle injuries or deaths of fellow

firefighters or other victims”(Insung). In today's society we are able to explore the various

traumatic events encountered during firefighting, such as witnessing fatalities, facing

life-threatening situations, or experiencing the loss of colleagues. Today we have a better

understanding of what causes PTSD for firefighters and we are able to help them and get them the

right treatment and care for their disorder.

Help That The Firefighters Need

Firefighters have the ability to access different resources for themselves so that they

can go to get help with the proper utilities and treatment to help them. Firefighters can find the

help they need from a big support group who works specifically with firefighters to be there for

them in their hard times and get them the exact help that they need for the individual firefighter

with trauma and PTSD. IAFF Center Of Excellence For Behavioral Health Treatment And

Recovery is one of the largest support groups for firefighters where they have quick access to the

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help that they are looking for. In recent studies it has been shown that 58% of firefighters around

the United States struggle with PTSD. That is more than half of the firefighters that have trouble

with their mental well being due to firefighting and the overload that you can experience from this

career. Firefighters are the ones that arrive on scene before anybody else, so they get exposed to

significant events that you no one would want to imagine going through.

Symptoms Of PTSD

Becker wrote an article called “Posttraumatic Stress and Somatic Symptoms in Firefighters:

A Mediation Analysis of the Impact of Potentially Traumatic Events”. It talks about PTSD and

other symptoms that firefighters might encounter during their career. “Studies have shown that the

exposure to traumatic events is also associated with the development of Somatic Symptom

Disorder (SSD)”(Becker). This symptom known as SSD, is when a lot of firefighters go to the

doctor to see if there is something wrong with them. In most of the cases, the doctor doesn’t find

anything wrong with them but the firefighters want to continue to consult the doctor. “It is known

that the female gender is associated with higher rates of somatic symptoms”(Becker). The author

says that the females are more likely to get this symptom because a study was conducted in

Portugal and its result was that women could get that disorder more than men.

Early Stages Of PTSD

Schnell, Suhr, and Weierstall-Pust work at the Department of Clinical Psychology and

Psychotherapy and they made this article called “Post-traumatic stress disorder in volunteer

firefighters: influence of specific risk and protective factors”. They talk about how they

investigated the disorder of PTSD in volunteer firefighters. “The results suggest a possible

prevalence of PTSD of 12.5% and 2.2% for partial PTSD based on self-report measures” (Schnell).

They also talk about the Sense of Coherence (SoC) and how it affects the PTSD. They confirm that

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this damage will increase depending on the age or on the job career. “The results emphasize that

not only exposure to potentially traumatic events predicts the later probability of developing

symptoms of PTSD, but that the integration of stressful experiences into the self-concept

(associated with SoC) is essential for the development of PTSD.” (Schnell). In other words, with a

lot of stressful experiences and traumatic occurrences, these symptoms will grow and they will

become even worse with aging.

Mental Health Among Firefighters

The National Library of Medicine released this article called “Firefighters, posttraumatic

stress disorder, and barriers to treatment: Results from a nationwide total population survey”. This

article talks about a survey that they did around the nation and the result was that only a small

portion of the firefighters had received a mental health treatment in that month. Greater PTSD

symptom intensity and functional injury were strongly connected with increased concerns about

potential stigma, even though people with these conditions were also more likely to look for

treatment. “This nationwide study points to the need for new approaches to promote access to

mental health treatment in professional firefighters.” (National Library of Medicine). This article

also includes that there have been some progress on how to find PTSD in firefighters with

pharmacological, psychotherapeutic, and behavioral interventions. There is also another negative

effect that firefighters can get, it’s called stigma. “Stigma can have detrimental influences on both

an individual's reputation and career, and therefore prevent people from seeking mental health

treatment”. (National Library of Medicine). It is very concerning for male jobs because it hits their

personal weakness.

Challenges That Firefighters Face

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 Jill wrote an article called “Assessing the Perceptions and Impact of Critical Incident Stress

Management Peer Support among Firefighters and Paramedics in Canada”. This article talks about

what firefighters do and how complicated it could be for their mental health. It also adds how

difficult their work is and how many challenges they encounter everyday. “The work of public

safety personnel (PSP) consists of unique demands and stressors that can increase the risk of

exposure to potentially psychologically traumatic events.” (Jill). It also includes that women and

people with more work experience are more likely to get some mental disorders. To make this

disappear, many PSP agencies installed peer support. “Peer support refers to a supportive

relationship between peers who have lived a common experience.” (Jill). Having this experience

with different individuals, will make the firefighters feel comfortable to share their experiences and

they will feel more understood.

Stress And Hide Of Emotions

Hyeong wrote an article called “The impact of emotional labor on the severity of PTSD

symptoms in firefighters”. The author wants to make sure how difficult and how stressful it could

be to be a firefighter. It also says that most of the studies were not very concerned mentally on the

firefighter but more on employees and other kinds of jobs. “To date, studies investigating

emotional labor of employees have mostly focused on commercial and customer-service jobs,

disregarding, for the most part, emotional labor of emergency workers, like firefighters.”

(Hyeong). Also because of this, firefighters have suffered more than the other groups of work. It is

difficult to be a firefighter because they always have to hide their emotions if someone dies, if

there is an accident, or if someone is very hurt. In Korea, a survey was done about how many

firefighters don’t show their emotions and suffer quietly during work. “Furthermore, the survey

showed that 81.2% of respondents of the survey, who were working at the emergency operation

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center, reported that they usually suppress their emotions when receiving calls.” (Hyeong). This

article says that there should be more mental attention to jobs like firefighters because it is not an

easy job in any aspect.

Understanding How The PTSD Start

The IAFF Center of Excellence Staff released this article called “Trauma, Firefighting, and

PTSD”. They explain what PTSD is and how it can occur in different ways. “Symptoms of PTSD

include flashbacks, avoidance of reminders, negative changes in emotions and behaviors and

hyperarousal.” (IAFF). These symptoms can grow more and they can take to not control life

anymore. It also explains when the disorder could start to develop and it specifies that every person

and experience is unique. Not all the firefighters could get this disorder, so it depends from the

person. “The disorder only develops after an individual has either seen or directly experienced a

traumatic event.” (IAFF). The IAFF Center also adds that recently there have been some progress

on the mental health field but there are still a lot of firefighters that are struggling. A recent study

demonstrated that 58% of firefighters have PTSD or stigma, which will lead to PTSD.

Routine Of A Firefighter

Javanbakht wrote an article called “The aching red: Firefighters often silently suffer from

trauma and job-related stress”. This article starts with a short interview with a firefighter and then

it talks about how it is to be a firefighter and how many challenges they have to face everyday.

Because they see the same things, they understand each other more and they spend a lot of time

together. It is not possible to know what will happen to firefighters because every call could be an

easy task or very difficult. “The life of a firefighter requires a frequent and immediate switch from

laid-back life at the station to racing to unimaginable scenes that could involve anything from a

light car accident to horrible car crashes, where first responders have to pull people or bodies from

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crushed or burning cars.” (Javanbakht). This article also says that the PTSD is not to be

underestimated because it could easily end the life of a firefighter. “A recent study found that more

firefighters and police officers die by suicide than in the line of duty.” (Havanbakht). There are

different symptoms for PTSD and every person has their different experiences.

PTSD Can Lead To Risks

Serrano-Ibáñez wrote an article called “Psychological Variables Associated With

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Firefighters: A Systematic Review”. This article explains in

which kind of situations firefighters work everyday and how much stress they have to suffer. It

also says that it is a very complicated job and that it requires a lot of psychological help even if it

doesn’t seem so. “Moreover, firefighters are directly involved in the stressor and the resolution of

the emergency (for example, rescuing people caught in a fire or removing them from a car in a

traffic accident), because they are the ones who must work within the stressful situation to resolve

it.” (Serrano-Ibáñez). The author also says that the PTSD could become a trauma and it will be

difficult to take care of it. It is very important to start talking to someone if there are any of the

symptoms listed above. Some studies declared that an early intervention on the PTSD could even

save lives of firefighters before it’s too late for the aggravation. “Thus, understanding the risk

factors implicated in the development and maintenance of PTSD could be relevant to preventing or

treating this problem in order to avoid developing long-term trauma-related psychopathology.”

(Serrano-Ibáñez). PTSD is a very important fact in a firefighter's life because it reacts to all the

unimaginable situations that they see. This article reminds that it is never too late to express what

they feel and that it is better to talk to someone about it before it’s too late.

Interview A Firefighter: Andrew Gahalil

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 As I started looking for interviewers I got a hold of a firefighter from the Costa county fire

department, I had told him that I was making a senior research project about firefighting and I got

the chance to meet with him to do the interview and I was able to ride along with the firefighters

for a few calls to see what they have to encounter and how their work life is. Firefighting can be a

really fast job at times but it can also be the total opposite. You never know when that phone might

ring for you to go but you must always be aware and ready. When firefighters are not on calls you

usually will find them working out or watching sports. Firefighters build a strong bond with one

another almost like family because they are saving lives together and they are always around one

another. When you're running into a burning building with your fellow firefighter you are gonna

want to be able to trust that person and they are going to want to trust you because you have to

work as a team to make sure everyone is safe and the fires are out.

Furthermore, I would like to introduce my choice of person to interview Andrew Gahalil.

Andrew was born and raised in the bay area and he is one of the head firefighters at costa county

fire department. Andrew in his free time, when he is not working, likes to do boxing and spend

time with his wife and kids at home. Firstly I started off by saying thanks for the opportunity to

interview him. I told him that there might be some questions that could be a little personal so at

any time he could have told me to skip. I asked him if he had ever experienced traumatic events

that could contribute to PTSD. He answered by saying yes and that as a firefighter you have to

encounter people at their lowest point in life, from car accidents, severely burned human beings,

parents running over there kid on accident, it is possible to see a lot of trauma but it mainly

depends on how the firefighters deal with those things and how they are able to shift their mind

into something positive. I also asked how the constant exposure to dangerous situations impacts his

mental health. He said that it’s very helpful for him to build a barrier in his mind to separate what

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happens to him at work and his life at home. He confirms to see really horrific scenarios and

scenes but he repeats that it's what works best for different firefighters to cope with that. He said

that everyone needs to find what is best for them, whether it’s working out, boxing, or playing

sports, they just have to balance their life at work and at home. He adds that it will always be

possible to see traumatic events or dangerous situations but that is part of the job.

The Life Of A Firefighter

PTSD is one of the worst enemies of firefighters. They do not do an easy job and they see a

lot of unfortunate events. It is not easy to see some things and suffer without showing emotions but

that is part of their job. The impact that some experiences have on them, has a different reaction in

every firefighter. PTSD is common between firefighters but not all of them have it. This disorder

has a different effect on every person because every person is different and they try different

emotions. Firefighters need to be strong because everyday they face the worst challenges and also

because of the PTSD. They never know what is going to happen and they never know if someone

could still be able to live. They have a strong bond between each other because they are the only

ones that know how difficult their work is and how hard it is to save lives. PTSD could arrive at

any moment in their life but there are certain symptoms that precede. They could be flashbacks,

nightmares, or irritability, it all depends on the person and from how they react in certain

experiences. Women or the people that have a lot of years of job experience are more likely to get

the PTSD, but there are different ways to fix it. There is peer support where all the firefighters can

tell their experiences and they will be understood because the other people felt the same way that

they did. This is the most effective way to take care of it because everyone can share their

experience and they can show how they really felt about it.

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 Work Cited Page

Jo, Insung (2018) "Relationship between Burnout and PTSD Symptoms in Firefighters:

The Moderating Effects of a Sense of Calling to Firefighting." International Archives of

Occupational and Environmental Health, vol. 91, no. 1, 2018, pp. 117-123. ProQuest,

https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/relationship-between-burnout-ptsd-symptoms

/docview/1984351359/se-2, doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-017-1263-6.

.Joana Proença Becker (2023). Posttraumatic stress and somatic symptoms in firefighters: A

mediation analysis of the impact of potentially traumatic events. Societies, 13(9), 206.

doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/soc13090206

Thomas Schnell, Frederick Suhr, Roland Pust(2020). Post-traumatic stress disorder in

volunteer firefighters: Influence of specific risk and protective factors. [Trastorno de estrés

postraumático en bomberos voluntarios: La influencia de los factores específicos de riesgo

y protección] European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 11(1)

doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2020.1764722

National Library of Medicine (2018)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5755833/

Price, Jill.(2018). Assessing the perceptions and impact of critical incident stress

management peer support among firefighters and paramedics in canada. International

Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(9), 4976.

doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19094976 2023, pp. 206. ProQuest,

Park, Heyeon (2018) The impact of emotional labor on the severity of PTSD symptoms in

firefighters. "The Impact of Emotional Labor on the Severity of PTSD Symptoms in Firefighters."

Comprehensive Psychiatry, vol. 83, 2018, pp. 53-58. ProQuest,

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https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/impact-emotional-labor-on-severity-ptsd-symptoms/

docview/2029490772/se-2, doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2018.03.002.

IIAFF Center of Excellence Stuff (2019) Trauma, Firefighting and PTSD

https://www.iaffrecoverycenter.com/blog/trauma-firefighting-and-ptsd/

Arash, Javanbakht (2021) The aching red: Firefighters often silently suffer from trauma and

job-related stress

https://theconversation.com/the-aching-red-firefighters-often-silently-suffer-from-trauma-and-job-r

elated-stress-164994

Elena R. Serrano Ibanez (2022) Psychological Variables Associated With Post-Traumatic Stress

Disorder in Firefighters: A Systematic Review

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/15248380221082944?icid=int.sj-abstract.citing-articles.1

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