The fire department has a number of services to help firefighters and paramedics struggling with their mental health, but challenges still exist.
Jim McDade, president of the Dallas Fire Fighters Association, said everything from the stresses of what they see on calls to the long hours and hard work of the job can impact the mental well-being of firefighters and paramedics at DFR. He thinks the DFR Care Network has helped plenty of people but more could be done to make life easier for firefighters and paramedics at the department.
In 2021, DFR Capt. Kenny Crutcher killed himself. According to McDade, this reignited a push for better mental health services in the department. “Kenny’s my best friend,” he said. “It was a really hard time for me when it happened because we had been best friends for a very long time. We worked together for years. We worked at the same station.”
After these two deaths, the department brought in some 60 volunteers with the International Association of Fire Fighters to visit every DFR fire station within a three-day period. The goal was to make known the resources available to people in DFR if they’re struggling with their mental health. One of the biggest challenges DFR faces is that a lot of people it hires are coming from a military background. “So, we’ve got guys that are walking in the door who have PTSD,” McDade said. “They have seen things, really bad things, and then we’re bringing them in and putting them in this environment. We owe it to them to make sure that they’re taken care of, but it’s a challenge.
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