4 CA firefighters died by suicide in last 90 days, association president shares own struggles

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- EDITORS' NOTE: The pursuing communicative includes a delicate treatment astir suicide. If you oregon idiosyncratic you cognize is struggling, see reaching retired for enactment astatine the services listed astatine the bottommost of the page.

Pulling backmost the curtain connected his life, Brian Rice, President of the California Professional Firefighters Association, details his interior turmoil, conflict with addiction and adjacent an effort to instrumentality his ain beingness successful a caller video to members.

"I was close there, I convey God," says Rice.

Full of emotions, for the archetypal clip sharing his idiosyncratic beingness story. This, aft helium says 4 progressive work firefighters died by termination successful the past 90 days successful the authorities of California.

"My anticipation and supplication are that we ne'er suffer different firefighter to termination successful the State of California Professional Firefighters oregon anyplace successful this nation," says Rice.

He calls the contented of termination among firefighters an epidemic and a crisis.

Over his 40 years successful the occurrence service, Rice says the vocation has evolved, that the pressures are greater owed to an summation successful telephone volumes and workloads.

The archetypal responders look not lone fires, but aesculapian emergencies, car crashes, and nonaccomplishment of life. Traumas that tin go haunting.

"You spot it, you odor it, you consciousness it, sometimes you sensation it," says Rice.

Battalion Chief Keola Park oversees Fresno Fire's adjacent enactment program, helium believes talking is 1 portion of the solution.

"Peer enactment is precise powerful, being that each of america firefighters we person that acquisition arsenic acold arsenic a traumatic chronicle that we spell done successful our career. And the interaction they person and there's nary 1 size fits each erstwhile it comes to intelligence and behavioral health," says Battalion Chief Park.

Dr. Amy Parks, enforcement manager of NAMI Fresno, says the wide colonisation mightiness acquisition 3 traumas crossed their lifetime, for firefighters connected mean it's astir 10 successful a month. She sees the civilization surrounding intelligence wellness shifting, but the stigma remains.

"In a assemblage wherever you are a hero, you are the 1 that's moving to prevention everyone else, that the thought that you mightiness request assistance the stigma that comes with that could beryllium seen arsenic that you're not acceptable for your job," says Dr. Parks.

With plans to discontinue astatine the extremity of April, Rice knew his communicative couldn't beryllium near untold.

His connection to firefighters everywhere, you are not alone.

"Suicide is not the answer, if you're reasoning astir it, I'm telling you I've been there, don't bash it," says Rice.

If you oregon idiosyncratic you cognize is successful affectional distress oregon considering suicide, telephone the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline astatine 988 oregon 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

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