Tag: officer

Rick Markley and I talk about the unique challenges that volunteer firefighters and their departments face in taking care of their wellness and mental health. There is so much more involved than just bad calls. You may think that an episode on volunteer firefighters has nothing to do with you, but with volunteers making up 67% of the fire service in the United States, this subject matters to everyone. Rick Markely has been a Volunteer fire fighter for almost 12 years.
He is also he former editor-in-chief of FireRescue1 and Fire Chief, a volunteer firefighter and fire investigator, and is a contributor to FirefighterCloseCalls. He serves on the board of directors and is actively involved with the International Fire Relief Mission, a humanitarian aid organization that delivers unused fire and EMS equipment to firefighters in developing countries. He holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and a master’s of fine arts. He has logged more than 15 years as an editor-in-chief and written numerous articles on firefighting.

https://volunteerfirefighterintl.com/
Firefighter Close Calls
http://www.firefighterclosecalls.com/
Book “Pass it on 3: Making Good Progress” (coupon code for 25% off: goodprogress)
https://fireengineeringbooks.com/pass-it-on-3-making-good-progress/
International Fire Relief Mission
https://sites.google.com/ifrm2007.com/ifrm2007-intl-fire-relief/home

The Firefighter Deconstructed sits down with another amazing daughter of a long time police officer. 21 year old Courtney talks about growing up as the oldest kid in a family with a first responder dad that works long hours as a police officer…and ends up with PTSI. No one talked to Courtney to tell her what was going on with her dad. No one explained that her dad was isolating and unavailable because he was being haunted by years of being a police officer. Courtney assumed she should be doing more for her parents instead of her parents doing more for her. At one point Courtney ponders “why even be alive if my parents aren’t here for me.” She also points out that she knows her parents did the best they could. BUT all of this went on much longer than it needed to, if only policeman dad was able to identify what was going on and ask for help. Lack of education and stigma kept Courtney and her dad suffering much longer than needed, which ultimately led to long term issues Courtney is dealing with now. Dear first responder parents (and all parents), you bring your job home with you. You must talk to your kids and you must get help yourself no matter how paralyzing the stigma is. Just listen to Courtney and she’ll tell you all about it.

This Episode is with Anaheim Firefighter/Paramedic Matt Fiorenza. Matt is a 16 year veteran of the the AFD and started drinking alcohol when he was 11. He had many trials and tribulations along the way to recovery. PTS nearly killed him. But he made it through and is a firefighter paramedic for the Anaheim Fire Department station at the Happiest place on Earth. He also works with a few organizations helping those afflicted with PTS and drug and alcohol addiction. Matt is a true inspiration in so many ways.

How to reach Matty:
https://www.firstresponder-wellness.com/-– 
https://www.shiftwellness.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddR6x7iQGys
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgFY5Bucvmc&t=61s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qo6y8m6t_2Q
https://saveawarrior.org/home#what-is-save-a-warrior
Matty@shiftwellness.com
Matt@saveawarrior.org 
matt.fiorenza@simplerecovery.com 
IG shift_wellness_firemanmatty
FB Matt Fiorenza LLC 

In Part 2, Jay talks more about working at the bomb site, the surrealism and how supportive the entire community was. Jay and I talk about what didn’t work and what did work to recover from PTSD. Jay also talks about the passing of Rebecca Kuga, a dedicated psychologist who worked with first responders to heal. She not only gave of herself professionally, but she truly gave her heart, love and compassion to countless first responders. Rebecca recently passed away from breast cancer. Those who were touched by her will never forget. Jay and myself are two of those people. She will greatly be missed.

This episode of The Firefighter Deconstructed has a very special guest. Grace is the 16 year old (soon to be 17) daughter of a police officer with 26 years as a cop (and his first gig was 3 years as a firefighter). Grace and I talk about what it’s like to be the child of a first responder and also of a first responder who gets PTSI. Grace is incredibly articulate and self aware. She makes it very clear that your kids know way more about what is going on than you think, and that trying to protect your kids from the truth will always back fire. This episode is a must listen for any first responder with kids or really anyone with kids. Actually, everyone should listen to this.

Don’t forget to check out FirefighterDeconstructed.com and irel8.org/firefighter-deconstructed

Retired Captain Tim Dietz shares his story of having to overcome personal tragedy and not fully dealing with it caused him to struggle later in his career. We talk about paths to recovery and the importance of peer support. Tim began his fire service career in Oregon in 1979. His first 22 years working on “the line” as a Company Officer/Paramedic, he retired at the end of 2008 as the Behavioral Health Specialist for a metropolitan fire district on the edge of Portland, Oregon. He is a Licensed Professional Counselor, and an internationally recognized speaker on crisis, grief, and staying happy and healthy in the emergency service professions. His career is devoted to teaching emergency responders and their organizations how to better serve the needs of emotionally traumatized people they may encounter at the scenes of injury or death, and he is also dedicated to preparing and providing tools for those emergency response organizations and individuals who are impacted by the inevitable stress that is an intrinsic part of their careers. He has written a book, is the founder of Responder Be Well, and the Director of WCPR in Oregon.

Responder Be Well…….http://www.responderbewell.com/index.html
Book……. Scene of Compassion A Responders Guide for Dealing with Emergency Scene Emotional Crisis 2nd edition
B Shifter Magazine…….http://www.bshifter.com/SelectMagazines.aspx

The Firefighter Deconstructed is partnering with iRel8 and ResponderRel8!

To download the ResponderRel8 app…….https://irel8.org/firefighter-deconstructed/
Firefighter Deconstructed Website…….FirefighterDeconstucted.com

Tim Kaplan is a 20 year veteran of the Berkeley, (CA) police Department. We talk about his chronic anxiety and how he dealt with it on the job. He spent the majority of his police career in the patrol division while holding a number of collateral assignments including Field Training Officer, Crisis Negotiator Team Leader, and Crowd Management Team member. Tim was assigned to the Sexual Assault Investigations Division for 3 years, and spent 2 1/2 years on a high visibility street level narcotics and violence suppression team. He was trained in Critical Incident Stress Management and assisted on the Peer Support Team. Tim retired at the age of 43 years. He was ready to move on to the next chapter in his life and felt leaving the job would help decrease a constant anxiety that plagued him. His current passion is helping others reach their fitness, health, and wellness goals. Tim co-founded Blue Resilience, a training and consulting firm committed to teaching members of the law enforcement community about stress resilience and wellness. He is a certified tactical strength and conditioning facilitator, a Level 1 Precision Nutrition Coach, and Fitness Nutrition Specialist. Tim holds a Faculty Level Certification from the Wellness Council of America (WELCOA), a leading resource for workplace wellness.
Email: timkaplanperformance@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/tim.kaplan.16

Meet Jay Scott, retired Fire Sergeant from the Oklahoma City Fire Department. The Oklahoma City bombing has had lasting effects on everyone, especially those who were there. Jay Scott is no different. His uncanny memory and insight causes him to remember more than he would like. It’s been 25 years since the bombing and Jay still continues to find closure for events from that day. It’s an incredible story with incredible insights. He remembers so much that one hour is not enough space for all of his story. Please listen to Part 1, I guarantee you will take something away from it that is meaningful.

Deborah is the wife of ret. New York State Trooper, who after struggling with symptoms took years to finally be diagnosed with PTSD. Deborah has been through the gauntlet of being the spouse of a first responder with PTSD. After the diagnosis came and healing began, Deborah used her writing and producing skills to create the award winning documentary film, Code 9: Officer Needs Assistance. This film tells the stories of police officers and their journeys through PTSD. She is currently working to produce another film called Monochrome, about bridging back the trust between the community and the police. Her story is powerful, honest, and loving. It was an honor for me to talk to her and I think you will enjoy this show!

Deborah and her work can be found:
www.code9.org
www.facebook.com/monochromedoc
Code9film.com
www.dangerouscurvesproductions.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jO01Qeg15KU&t=74s

More first responders kill themselves than die in the line of duty. Fire captain Jeff Dill decided to do something about it. Jeff is the founder of the Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance, holds a Master’s degree and is a Licensed Counselor. He is a retired Captain from Palatine Rural Fire Protection District in Inverness, Illinois and is a member of the American Counseling Association and National Board of Certified Counselors. FBHA’s goal is to provide behavioral health workshops to fire departments and EMS organizations across the globe, focusing on behavioral health awareness with a strong drive towards suicide prevention and promoting resources available to firefighters/EMS and their families. Jeff and I discuss how the FBHA is working to prevent firefighter, paramedic, EMT and Dispatcher suicides. We talk about what organizations and we as individuals can do to help prevent these tragedies that are increasing in number every year.
https://www.ffbha.org
National suicide prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255
To Donate: https://www.ffbha.org/ways-to-help/make-a-donation/
www.FirefighterDeconstructed.com