How would you like to have a job where everyone you serve is having the worst day of their life??
That is the everyday truth of a career as a first responder; the police, fire, and EMS folks who we call on our worst days.
If it hasn’t really sunk in yet, let me give you a few more specific examples:
How about a traumatic death, a murder or suicide, where organ donor decisions must be made?
How about the death of a child due to a pool drowning or a neglect or abuse situation?
Or how about having to kill a criminal at a scene before he kills you (mass shootings)?
On a previous episode recently, I had the Chaplain from Camp Hope on the show to talk about veterans suffering with PTSD, something we are all more familiar with from news and PR campaigns to assist them. But we hear almost nothing about the PTSD of first responders or ways to help them cope with it.
This show is going to shed much more light on these people and their wrestling match with asking for help.
My guest is Richard Cary, a Fire Chief for 20 years in a volunteer fire department as well as working as a licensed paramedic. He also served his local community in a 39-year part-time law enforcement career as a Master Peace Officer. Give this episode a listen and be grateful for the people who respond when we need them on our worst days.
Visit www.thesavagepath.com for more on David, his book The Savage Path: A Memoir of Modern Masculinity, and the Savage Path Ministries Corp.
