Josh Rubinstein, a battalion chief from Northern California's Garden Valley Fire Department, has been assisting with the Eaton Fire in Altadena since Jan. 10. He said the emotional toll of the job runs just as deep as the physical demands.
“I would be a liar if I said I never cried after a call, right? I'm a human being first,” he said. “We lose more men and women to suicide than we do line-of-duty deaths.”
First responders include law enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency medical service providers, and, in some cases, military personnel and prison firefighters who assist during emergencies like wildfires.
San Diego County mental health providers are offering free mental health and substance abuse therapy to first responders battling the Los Angeles fires to help them cope.
Trauma therapist Nancy Phung-Smith, is one of about a dozen local providers offering free therapy. She said the weight of devastation can lead responders to unhealthy coping mechanisms, including substance use.
“I think it's really important for the first responders to get help. People are turning to them and they're sharing their loss. Being able to hold on to that and witness it, it's a lot,” she said.
Steve Blackburn, who coordinates peer support for LA County Fire, emphasized the importance of culturally competent therapy.
“A firefighter won't come for help until they're broken. We don't do routine maintenance. We're good at helping others, we’re terrible at taking care of ourselves. So if they open up to a therapist and it’s the wrong therapist, they will never go back again,” he said.
He said cost and availability are also challenging.
“I love that they want to help them and give them a few sessions, but PTSD is part of our job. It goes to workers comp, and nobody takes workers comp. And so it's hard to find a clinician that's willing to take our guys and help them,” Blackburn said.
He recommended therapists offering their services make sure they can work with the first responders long term before starting therapy.
Rubenstein said support services like therapy, peer counseling and service dogs provide a break.
“For two minutes, a firefighter can take their mind off of all the death and destruction that we are seeing. It truly takes your mind off the emotional aspect of what we're dealing with on a day to day basis.”
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