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A class on dealing with the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder was hosted by the Martinsburg Volunteer Fire Company and led by Altoona Fire Department Chief Tim Hileman, Tuesday, Feb. 11. More than 40 area firefighters were in attendance.
Hileman opened the seminar explaining how the course came about. "Basically, I saw a need in my department. We've had some issues with PTSD," said Hileman.
According to the Mayo Clinic, "Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that's triggered by a terrifying event - either experiencing it or witnessing it. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event."
Every aspect of PTSD is very personal and varies from one person to another, from the initial event to the coping mechanisms necessary to treat it. It can present itself both mentally and physically.
After six years active duty in the Army, including four deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, then 26 years with the National Guard, Hileman has dealt with more than twenty suicides of soldiers who couldn't adjust after being through the traumatic experiences of war.
As a firefighter, Hileman spent 10 years as a line firefighter, a couple years as deputy chief and has been chief since 2012, so he speaks from hands-on experience.
He realized that the stresses and stressors of active-duty military were very similar to those of the fire service.
Mandated by Congress, the Army has many programs designed to make sure soldiers are taken care of. The fire service has nothing in place.
"Rub some dirt on it, you'll be OK," Hileman said, explaining the way many in the fire service deal with injury of any kind.
The course is based on class participation and is designed to get people talking of their individual experiences and to begin to feel comfortable talking about those experiences.
Hileman said another part of the class is for individuals to be able to take the information back to their organizations and talk about PTSD without the stigma that has been placed on mental illness and mental health issues.
People have been programmed to think that mental health issues only affect the weak and shouldn't be talked about.
Suicide among firefighters is on the rise. A 2018 study found not only are firefighters more likely to die by suicide than on duty, but rates of depression and post-traumatic stress disorders among firefighters have been found to be as much as five-times higher than that of the general population. Hileman believes that part of that rise is due to the stigma attached to mental health issues. This class is designed to address some of these stigmas.
One call is all it can take to cause PTSD. Some can go on calls for decades, some maybe a week until they hit that one call.
"Seeing these terrible things is not something you should be taking lightly. It should affect you," Hileman said. Having the correct coping mechanisms in place can help to keep the trauma damage in check and the effects of PTSD at bay.
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