4 days ago
Firefighter mental health support group aims to break stigma
Editor's note: This story talks about suicide and may be triggering for some viewers/readers.
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – First responders can battle a sometimes-secret battle: their mental health. A study from the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology finds that approximately 20% of firefighters and paramedics meet the criteria for PTSD at some point in their careers.
A lieutenant with Sedgwick County Fire is leading the charge on how firefighters take care of their mental health.
'Those calls pile up and you're not processing, you're not sleeping, you're not eating, the coping skills that you're using, typically in the first responder world, we're talking about drug use, prescription or illicit,' SCFD1 Lieutenant Jeremiah Christophersen said.
That 'pile up' of situations is what Chistophersen wants people to know about. He wants to ensure a firefighter's mental health is as important as their physical health. He says he doesn't want anyone to reach the point he did years ago.
'I sat up in bed, I screamed, there's the grim reaper at the end of my bed multiple occasions,' he said.
Christophersen says a divorce, financial strain and years of suppressed trauma from his career nearly cost him his life.
'Not telling anybody that I'm hurting, not telling anybody I'm scared. That wall kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger,' he said.
Study reveals decline in mental health among US mothers
In 2016, Christophersen says he attempted suicide. His inner voice stopped him.
'It kept burning through my mind the things that I was going to miss out,' he said while holding back tears.
Christophersen says that moment changed everything for him. He wanted to channel his experience into making an impact. He now leads a peer support group in the Sedgwick County Fire Department.
'If they choose to, and they are having an issue that they would like to talk about, they can reach out to anyone on that team. If they go on a call, and anybody on that crew feels like, 'hey, this one was bad,' and would like to speak about it. They make that same thing,' he said.
Christophersen says mental health resources and support have evolved significantly from when he went through his challenges, saying he is now trying to break the silence and stigma.
'They're starting to get comfortable with having conversations that they aren't normally having. We just need to continue and keep pushing that forward,' he said.
Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable.
Whether it's for a family member, friend, coworker, or for yourself, there is help out there for anyone looking for mental health care. Click here to find a list.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
