California’s firefighting agency has been slow to react to a mounting mental health crisis within its ranks as firefighters around the state say Cal Fire has failed to get them what they need — including a sustainable workload, easier access to workers’ comp benefits and more counselors.
Despite the difficulty of discussing mental health, high-ranking battalion chiefs and captains opened up to talk about their exhaustion from weeks on duty, their suicidal thoughts and the never-ending trauma and terror of seeing their colleagues injured or killed.
Cal Fire doesn’t collect data on incidents of suicide or post-traumatic stress disorder among its employees, but in dozens of interviews, veteran firefighters agree the agency is facing a mental health epidemic. “I would be willing to bet that there’s suicidal ideation in half of our employees right now, and half of them have a plan to do it,” said Cal Fire Captain Mike Orton. Another Cal Fire officer said 80% of his station house crew got divorced last year, blaming stress and time away from home.
Despite Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration pumping more money into Cal Fire, staffing deficits persist as fires grow larger and more unpredictable, driven by climate change and drought. Firefighters often are fatigued from working four or more weeks at a time, exacerbating the risks of an already dangerous job. Last year, 10% of Cal Fire employees quit. Meanwhile, firefighters say they routinely encounter problems getting workers’ comp insurance to cover their mental health care. “People are leaving in droves,” said Battalion Chief Jeff Burrow. “We run out of people all the time.”
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