It's a very good question, because for the longest time, paramedics/EMTs/firefighters -were- expected to just "suck it up".
Now, with increases in the protection of our PPE (bunker gear, etc.) and other knowledge, there are less line of duty deaths due to accident or illness (typically cancer, though that's still a big one) - now the biggest cause is suicide, mostly as a result of PTSD.
There's a documentary that was funded in part by Denis Leary called "Burn: A Year in the Frontlines in the Battle to Save Detroit", talking about fire departments there. One of the veterans says "I wish my mind could forget what my eyes have seen".
Around here, the PNW, at least, there's a huge movement toward handling it proactively, access to counseling, therapy, hotlines, and as importantly as anything else, active efforts to remove the stigma associated with things.
We used to do CISDs (critical incident stress debriefings), which are now largely discredited - essentially "put everyone in a room and 'make' them talk about how they feel after a bad call, whether they want to or not", but now, more and more departments are hiring full-time mental health professionals. One near me has someone who specializes in PTSD, and another who works with sleep regulation (all those alarms in the middle of the night), and alcohol/drug use.
Now, with increases in the protection of our PPE (bunker gear, etc.) and other knowledge, there are less line of duty deaths due to accident or illness (typically cancer, though that's still a big one) - now the biggest cause is suicide, mostly as a result of PTSD.
There's a documentary that was funded in part by Denis Leary called "Burn: A Year in the Frontlines in the Battle to Save Detroit", talking about fire departments there. One of the veterans says "I wish my mind could forget what my eyes have seen".
Around here, the PNW, at least, there's a huge movement toward handling it proactively, access to counseling, therapy, hotlines, and as importantly as anything else, active efforts to remove the stigma associated with things.
We used to do CISDs (critical incident stress debriefings), which are now largely discredited - essentially "put everyone in a room and 'make' them talk about how they feel after a bad call, whether they want to or not", but now, more and more departments are hiring full-time mental health professionals. One near me has someone who specializes in PTSD, and another who works with sleep regulation (all those alarms in the middle of the night), and alcohol/drug use.