July 4th was a great day for me and my family. My husband and I were off duty and we spent the day with friends and family grilling and playing red, white and blue games. We ended the night watching fireworks on TV. Before I went to sleep, I logged in to see how my Facebook friends were doing and how their holiday went.

As I was scrolling through different pages and profiles, one of the pages that I am a “fan” of struck me: the owner is a young military veteran who recently got home from his last tour of Iraq. His update read something to the effect of “Fireworks and PTSD aren’t a great combination,” followed by several comments of encouragement and similar stories from vets and spouses of vets. I am embarrassed to say that I have never thought of what those who suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), particularly our returning soldiers, have to contend with when they return home. It made me appreciate even more what these brave people sacrifice for our freedom. It saddens me that some of them will never be the same when they come home.

It is almost ironic that those soldiers who serve their country and ensure that we remain free cannot even enjoy one thing many of us look forward to every year—fireworks. For generations, fireworks have represented our celebration of the freedom and independence that our forefathers fought for years ago. It seems unfair that one simple pleasure that brings us all together as Americans can bring such dread and anxiety to those who sacrificed so much.

Being on my county’s CISM team, we’ve seen a lot of PTSD-related issues lately. We recently had an officer stop in the middle of a busy roadway during a rainstorm after seeing a trashcan that had blown into the median. He couldn’t bring himself to drive by it, thinking that it must be an improvised explosive device (IED). Not long after that, an officer was first on the scene of a crash where a man had shot himself while driving during a police chase. The officer had served as a field medic in the service and instead of securing the weapon and scene, he switched into rescue mode and starting working on trying to save the suspect.

Loud noises, sights, smells, victims and more can trigger an episode for someone suffering from PTSD. Some studies are finally being published, as well as classes being offered, that examine the effects of public safety work on calltakers and dispatchers. It has been found that one doesn’t have to actually witness or be on scene of a traumatic event for it to have a negative effect on those who work on the other side of the radio. We go through much of the same types of anxiety and stress, though it may be a little varied. We rely on our other senses to do our job. We often only have our hearing to rely on while sitting in the comm center. And what we can’t hear can sometimes be more stressful than what we do hear. I have often said that the longest moment in a dispatcher’s life is waiting for a scene secure, suspect in custody or a personnel accountability report (PAR) on a fire scene.

Some agencies, including one in my area, have started putting together programs that will assist veterans as they return to the workforce at home. They are developing greater understanding for how the vet can fit into their organization and how to best utilize their skills, and it has been very successful and beneficial for both parties. These services reach out to returning service men and women as well as teaching civilians how to recognize the possible difficulties service people may face and appreciate the veteran and how they can continue to serve their community.

PTSD used to carry a certain stigma and was something rarely discussed. The only time you heard about it was when someone suffered the most severe of episodes that impacted the public in some negative way or in movies that usually depict the war veteran as some crazy loner who loses it and either ends up hurting themself or others. No wonder those affected often choose to suffer in silence. There are now many programs and support groups that focus on helping these courageous folks and puts them in touch with others that are suffering similar symptoms.

Law enforcement, fire safety, dispatchers, medical services and military personnel are all cut from the same cloth. We have very similar personalities and the desire to serve others. It’s no wonder that our first inclination is to keep our own problems, worries and nightmares to ourselves. We don’t want to be a burden to anyone.

Please seek help. There are people who care about you and want you to be well. You deserve to be mentally healthy. Learn what you need to do in order to beat stress, or at the very least manage it. We want you to live a happy and productive life and certainly want you to have a successful career that leads to a happy retirement.

If your agency doesn’t have a local Critical Incident Stress Management team and you have been through a critical or traumatic work incident, you can contact the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation at www.icisf.org and they can put you in touch with the closest team that can assist you. These teams are made up of professional mental health practitioners and trained public safety peers who know exactly what you do for a living and have been exposed to similar incidents so that you can be assured that those you are talking to have been exactly where you are at some point in their careers.

If your symptoms persist, you may want to consider further professional assistance. Make sure they have experience with public safety personnel and/or PTSD.

Be well and be safe my family. 

About the Author
Cindra Dunaway is a 9-1-1 dispatcher for the Lee County (Fla.) Sheriff’s Office. Contact her via e-mail at [email protected].