FORT MYERS, Fla. — Fort Myers Fire Department's 145 firefighters will benefit from a new state law focused on their health and well-being, according to their fire chief. The legislation, signed by Governor Ron DeSantis, addresses both physical safety and mental health concerns for first responders across Florida.
"It's okay to say, I need help, and making sure the helpers have help," said Tracy McMillion, Chief of Fort Myers Fire Department.
Watch here to see how the new law will address firefighters' mental health:
McMillion emphasized that firefighters put their lives on the line daily, "exposing their mind, body, and mental capacity to these things that are going to be recurring for the rest of their life."
The new law requires fire departments to purchase gear free of hazardous chemicals. Additionally, the division must monitor mental health impacts, including suicide risks, and establish prevention protocols.
"When you call 911, my understanding is that most people have this belief that this person is going to be coming to you and going to do everything they can to rectify and change your situation for the best outcome. And sometimes that's not as good as it can be, because the person may not be in the right space," McMillion said.
The chief noted that the legislation aligns with existing mental health initiatives already in place in Fort Myers.
"We have some great, you know, CISM, which is critical incident stress management teams, good peer teams, and we are expounding upon all those areas, amount to health daily," McMillion said.
While Fort Myers hasn't seen many suicide cases in its department, the national and state statistics are concerning.
"I think there have been about 2000 firefighters who have committed suicide since 2010, almost about 100 per year, are taking their own lives," McMillion said.
The chief explained the unique challenges firefighters face: "There's so many things that our firefighters see and have to deal with that, you know, I believe no human was designed for it, and that's why some of the legislation actually says, you know, things are shocking to the soul."
These experiences affect both professional and personal aspects of firefighters' lives.
"These individuals have to actually balance the things that they're seeing in their professional life, while still dealing with the stresses that everyone else has," McMillion said. "Dealing with relationships, dealing with finances, dealing with, you know, just life in general."
Henry Garcia, President of the Southwest Florida Professional Firefighters and Paramedics Local 1826, was at the 81st Florida Professional Firefighters Convention when the bill was signed.
"Which is a strong showing of the state of Florida that they support their first responders and their health and well-being," Garcia said.
The legislation addresses concerns about work-life balance that have long affected firefighters.
"We're starting to realize the effects of sleep deprivation, the increase of cancer in firefighters, suicide rates, obesity, diabetes, these are all signs that are related to and linked to sleep deprivation," Garcia said.
Under the new law, standard firefighter shifts will be limited to 42 hours per week to reduce burnout.
"A 56-hour work week doesn't allow that, and then if you pick up just one shift of overtime, you're working 80 hours in a week, so that's a lot of time away from home," Garcia said.
Both leaders believe the legislation will ultimately improve emergency services for the community.
"A well-rested firefighter, paramedic, and EMT, they're going to make better decisions on a fireground," Garcia said.
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