Some people dream of being heroes. Others relive it in their nightmares. Even though first responders love their job, there's a price that sometimes comes along with it. Many times it will take a lifetime for those images to go away.
P.T.S.D. stands for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Soldiers commonly suffer from it. What many people don't know is, our first responders also suffer from it. They aren't crazy.
Do you think firefighters only extinguish fires? Do you think police only drive around all day and hand out tickets? Do you think EMTs only treat the injured? Do you think 911 dispatchers only take calls?
They experience traumatic situations everyday. They see and hear victims of violence, people who are near death and in pain. Young people. Old people. And even children.
"I've seen plenty of fireman crying. I have myself. You know, it's not a man or woman thing. You learn on this kind of job that it is just a human thing," Rick Brown from the Tampa Fire Department said.
Bonding and social support provided by their co-workers is probably the most important way to keep from suffering from PTSD.
"It kind of lets you get it off your chest," firefighter-paramedic Tommy Velar said. "We're all pretty close, so if it bothers one of us, we're not afraid to say, 'Man, that was a bad call.' We just kind of open up to each other."
Having PTSD does not mean you are broken. It merely means you were put to the test and did not fall apart.
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