Former FDNY firefighter Lt. Kevin Dermody of Engine 82 in the South Bronx
Photo courtesy Kevin Dermody
Firefighters put their lives on the line every day to protect and save people. But the question remains, who is looking after their mental health?
The number of firefighter suicides is estimated to be at least 100 per year. According to the “Ruderman White Paper on Mental Health and Suicide of First Responders,” the suicide rate for firefighters is 18 per 100,000 compared to 13 per 100,000 for the general public.
For more than two decades active and retired FDNY members and their families have had the opportunity to seek help from a nonprofit, Friends of Firefighters, which was launched shortly after Sept.11, 2001.
Former FDNY Commissioner and current board member of Friends of Firefighters Daniel Nigro spoke with the Bronx Times about the success and importance of the program.
“Three-hundred-forty-three firefighters died a matter of minutes on 9/11,” Nigro said. “I visited every firehouse. There was a huge amount of pain and loss.”
Friends of Firefighters is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that provides independent, confidential and free mental health counseling and wellness services to active and retired FDNY firefighters and their family members.
However, due to the stigma of mental health, many firefighters were reluctant to take advantage of the nonprofit in the beginning, Nigro said. But over time it became a place where the FDNY brethren felt comfortable speaking about their issues.
According to Nigro, while the FDNY has in-house counseling, many firefighters do not want it on their record they saw a therapist. So, being able to seek help anonymously made a difference, he said.
“I believe in Friends of Freighters,” Nigro said. “A lot of lives have been helped.”
Nigro said Friends of Firefighters provides counseling to about 200 people annually and in the past couple years its clients have increased by 50 percent. Friends of Firefighters has helped current and former FDNY deal with alcohol abuse, family problems, marriages and more. According to the Fire Service Joint Labor Management Wellness-Fitness Initiative, alcohol is the most commonly abused substance among firefighters.
People often think because firefighters are brave macho men and women, they may not have problems, but that couldn’t be further from the truth, Nigro said.
“In order for them to be productive members of the firefighting team, they need to have their life in order,” he said. “I think what we found in the last 20 years is that members are much more open to seeking help.”
The chief is glad the FDNY understands how important mental health is.
“It’s always been a job for tough guys,” Nigro said. “Everyone at some point needs someone to talk to.”
One person that can attest firsthand to the success of Friends of Firefighters is Lt. Kevin Dermody, a retired firefighter from Engine 82 in the South Bronx. Dermodmy, 72, was a fireman from 1982 to 2006.
Dermody said in the early part of his career firemen did not feel comfortable speaking about their mental health nor did they want it on the record that they met with a therapist.
“Most guys at that time pretty much didn’t buy into that (therapy),” Dermody said.
But after dealing with the Happy Land fire in the Bronx that killed 87 people in 1991 and his wife Laura almost dying during an ectopic pregnancy, Dermody knew he couldn’t keep everything inside.
He found therapy helpful and at one point, was even a peer counselor for Friends of Firefighters. Dermody is glad the stigma of mental health is gone.
“I believe it’s (Friends of Firefighters) utilized because it’s separate from the job,” he said. “They offer a quieter way to go to counseling.”
According to Dermody, as the reputation of Friends of Firefighters grew, the mental health of the FDNY improved as well.
He said he has had friends thank him for recommending Friends of Firefighters.
“They became more and more trusted by the guys,” he said. “It’s helped the whole job. Everybody knows this a safe space you can go to.”