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Mental health: how do firefighters manage stressful situations?
Firefighters are on the front line after accidents. Firefighters are subjected to stressful situations which can cause psychological trauma. Encounter.
(France 2)
Firefighters are on the front line after accidents. Firefighters are subjected to stressful situations which can cause psychological trauma. Encounter.
On the front line to provide assistance, firefighters face dangerous, delicate and dramatic interventions. They often do not emerge from these situations unscathed and may suffer from psychological disorders. In 2017, in Hérault, Éric arrived at the scene of a violent traffic accident. “The results of this accident are that there will be five deaths, including a 3-month-old baby who will ultimately have died”remembers the firefighter.
After this intervention, he suffered from absences and a loss of his reflexes. Without immediately realizing it, Eric suffered from post-traumatic stress for five years.
Unions call for harmonization of psychological support
Post-traumatic disorders are recognized as an occupational illness only for military firefighters in Paris and Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône). For the others, the department decides whether or not to provide psychological support for the firefighters. Haute-Garonne has a cell where psychologists are trained to support and help their colleagues.
A service well received by the firefighters. Several unions are calling for national harmonization of psychological support to limit and avoid discomfort among firefighters.
