In an emergency, the first responders are our heroes.<\/p>\n
They run into burning buildings, treat the victims of gunshot wounds or horrific accidents and confront those intent on doing harm, putting their own lives on the line.<\/p>\n
But those firefighters, EMS workers and police officers experience human emotions to tragedies the way we all do.<\/p>\n
Frequent exposure to trauma and tragedy has a lasting effect on first responders, causing greater incidents of mental illness and suicide in that profession than in others. In fact, a 2018 study by The Ruderman Family Foundation<\/a> showed that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression are five times more likely among first responders than the rest of the population.<\/p>\n A sobering thought: Police officers and firefighters are more likely to die from suicide than be killed in the line of duty.<\/p>\n The Ruderman study showed that only 3 to 5 percent of the nation’s law enforcement agencies offer training programs for suicide prevention.<\/p>\n Oklahoma lawmakers could be providing help.<\/p>\n When the legislative session begins on Feb. 4, lawmakers will consider a pair of proposed bills to help Oklahoma’s first responders<\/a>.<\/p>\n House Bill 2271, sponsored by Rep. Josh West (R-Grove), would add coverage for PTSD to the workers’ compensation law for first responders. Senate Bill 836, authored by Sen. James Leewright (R-Bristow), would allow mental injury benefits for volunteer firefighters.<\/p>\n