Going to violent and tragic scenes where death is probable is part of the job for first responders. Firefighters, law enforcement and paramedics train for seeing humanity at its worst and at its most vulnerable. Though they are stoic and professional at the scenes, it’s when they go home that the experiences can hit them hardest.

“It’s not when they’re on scene that the issues will start to evolve. It’s the following day when the family has gone to work, when they’re off and there’s silence in the house,” Starkville Police Chief Mark Ballard said. “That’s when what they’ve seen and what they’re exposed to, the accumulation of things, starts to add up.”

When a small or close-knit community goes through a tragedy such as the public suicide that occurred Sunday, it impacts many beyond the family of the deceased. Images circulated on social media, then later were deleted, of the man found dead behind a billboard on Highway 45 in Columbus, and traffic was rerouted for more than two hours while the scene was processed. Authorities believe the man hanged himself.

Michael Nadorff, associate professor and director for the clinical doctoral program at the Mississippi State University Department of Psychology, said he believes people can develop post-traumatic stress disorder from experiencing a scene like that firsthand, or even viewing it through photographs and videos. No matter the scope or intensity of the impact, the best way to move forward is to talk about it.

“It is not uncommon for that person to have nightmares for a while after or (have) intrusive thoughts or anxiety about what they saw,” Nadorff told The Dispatch in an email. “… Suicides and other sudden deaths can have a notable impact on small communities, or when it was a highly influential person. … The most important things for these communities are to not hide what happened, but keep the lines of communication open. It is a fine balance because you don’t want to glamorize the death or give too much positive attention, but also you don’t want to cover up what happened.”

First responders see a higher volume of tragedy than most, sometimes more than one before they can get home.

That was the case for Columbus Fire and Rescue on Sunday. Hours after firefighters retrieved the body from behind the billboard, the same shift of personnel responded to an RV fire where a person was dead inside.

With shifts that run 24 hours on, then 48 hours off, decompression is critical.

“Stuff like that is not common, but those guys still had to perform their job in that scenario,” said Capt. Joseph Denton. “It’s definitely different. We get our two days off then we have to come back and be ready to go.”

CFR Chief Duane Hughes said any call, those under his command hold incident response meetings where they discuss what happened. After particularly stressful calls, those trained in Critical Incident Stress Debriefing search for certain stressors from firefighters in those sessions.

Hughes said those things can be feelings of guilt, feelings of inadequacy and statements such as, “I should have done things differently.” He said if someone is identified as needing further attention there are veteran firefighters, people from other departments, church groups and counselors from Community Counseling Services to lend help.

Effects of repeated exposure
Ballard said repeated exposure to tragic events can lead to burnout or suicide for those officers who have been in the profession for more than 10 years, and data from First HELP, a nonprofit looking to destigmatize mental health discussions among first responders, supports Ballard’s statement.

Since 2017, the average time in a position for law enforcement officers who commit suicide is roughly 16.5 years, First HELP reports.

“Over time to protect oneself we often become numb and detached from it,” Nadorff said. “This can help with dealing with the repeated trauma of doing the job, but also we know it can also lead to higher suicide risk later on as that same numbing can make it so those individuals are also able to overcome self-preservation and to find pain as less of a barrier, hence why they have elevated risk of suicide.”

Both Hughes and Ballard pointed at the physical fitness their departments do for the job as outlets for negative emotions and thoughts.

“We workout – we run, jog, lift weights, which is a great stress reliever,” Hughes said. “This department in particular is a tighter family unit than what it used to be. We check up on each other. The older firefighters will make sure if there’s anything that goes on at the scene to talk to the younger firefighters and say, ‘Hey, look, I’m here for you. I know how you feel about what you experienced.’”

One thing both Ballard and Hughes agree upon is that appreciation and support from community, family and friends goes a long way in morale and mental health.

Ballard said there always needs to be a balance from the job and other titles in life like “father, son and brother.” Hughes said it’s important to know there is strength in reaching out for help.

“There are still a lot of positive things that go on,” Hughes said. “Something I always tell (the firefighters) is although we were called to handle the situation, we didn’t cause it. ‘You didn’t cause this situation. You’re here to help.’ … Everyone likes to feel appreciated, but no firefighter will ever say they do it for the applause. Just a pat on the back can go a long way in restoring injured and broken spirits.”

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