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In this week’s Inside EMS quick clip, hosts Chris Cebollero and Kelly Grayson discuss the Code Green Campaign, which aims to raise awareness about responder suicides and mental health issues.
“It really kind of goes to your soul to say what are we not doing for our peers?” Cebollero said.
Grayson agreed, saying we’re not doing enough to confront the problem. Few agencies track the numbers, he noted, but said on study shows firefighters are three times more likely to die by their own hand as they are from a line of duty death.
He said the stigma around mental illness, depression and PTSD among EMS providers needs to be removed.
“People, rather than do themselves harm, will realize that seeking help and reaching out is not a sign of weakness; it’s a sign of strength,” Grayson said. “This is how we keep going in a very stressful career field.”
