LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - National high suicide and depression rates in first responders has pushed Lubbock Fire and Rescue Lieutenant Matt McGinnis to develop a comprehensive system to help firefighters understand what mental health is, how to look for signs, and understand their options to get help.
McGinnis calls it a “comprehensive mental health wellness program,” created in response to high rates of critical incidence stress among firefighters and a very high suicide rate.
National statistics show that firefighters are 20 times more likely to die by suicide and 10 times more likely to die from a fire response-related event such as a heart attack.
"There’s a stigma among first responders that if you have an issue then it's a sign of weakness. We've got to teach guys that that's not the case and that in fact, it takes a lot of courage to face your issues,” Lt. McGinnis said.
McGinnis, who is also a chaplain within the Department and the coordinator for the Critical Incidence Stress Team, believes that around 80 percent of Lubbock firefighters walk around affected by what they see on the job.
"Any firefighter who’s been in this department for very long - a couple of years or more - has been through or has seen trauma at the level that most people wouldn’t even dream of, whether it’s car wrecks, structure fires - terribly violent things, a lot of gore, a lot of dead bodies.”
McGinnis says there are programs that can help, but many of them are in their infancy or not well known. McGinnis wants to change this. First, he wants Lubbock firefighters to go through training to understand what mental health is and how to detect signs of problems.
“Getting them to realize you’re not just out there as robots, this stuff affects you and what to look for. We’re going to teach everybody that. Then, if you have problems, we have a whole set of response people here - that’s Critical Incidence Stress, chaplaincy, Employee Assistance Program, peer support groups, and a list of other counselors. We’re hoping that all of these dovetail together into a big net to make sure that nobody falls through the gaps."
The last part of the program will include a list of long term options that are available to maintain mental well being.
McGinnis hopes once this comprehensive program is established, it can be used as a template for other fire departments in the state.
“I look around at other templates who are trying to have a comprehensive wellness program and I haven’t found anything, I haven’t even found a procedure yet.”
The Lubbock Critical Incidence Stress Team was sent to Odessa in July to respond to the mass shooting there. The team was created to help other first responders cope with stress.
McGinnis says the more he got involved with the team, the more passionate he got about it. He said that God put it on his heart to help first responders.
He says he’s done over 100 debriefings during his tenure on the team.
McGinnis says in 2016, there were at least eight first responders in Texas who took their own lives.
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