To: State Fire Marshal Matthew Perez, Illinois State Fire Marshal
Support Fire Fighter Emotional Health
Support the creation of programs and training as part of firefighter basic curriculum to better prepare Illinois firefighters for critical incidents and to be able to deal with the difficult realities that this profession can and will force them to confront.
Why is this important?
Lt. Ryan Elwood was a young first responder, happy, full of life, and with a bright future. A series of personal events, as well as a particularly disturbing trauma call, lead him to end his life on September 8th, 2015. Suicide rates among firefighters and first responders are alarmingly higher than other professions and the training that they receive does not prepare them for the emotional toll it will take on them. Furthermore, the stigma and silence that surrounds emotional well-being in the fire service discourage those first responders and firefighters to admit or seek the help needed to keep them well. Critical Incident Stress Management needs to be included in fire service training and as an overarching theme in all fire service training categories.