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LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – First responders in Lubbock are highlighting department wellness programs designed to give officers, firefighters and paramedics access to mental health support
Dr. Andy Young is part of the Lubbock Police Department’s wellness program. He said he wants first responders to know help is available
“It’s a general characteristic of people in emergency services that I am here to assist others and for me to burden somebody else, that’s not desirable,” Young said. “However, how are you going to be there for somebody else if no one, you never allow anyone else to be there for you.”
Attitudes shifting across agencies
Young said officers, firefighters and paramedics across emergency services have become more open to seeking assistance with their emotions
“I think a part of that might be the administrative component, too, that when the people who trained you and your bosses were like, nah, gut it out, keep going, that’s what I did, you’ll be fine,” Young said. “But now everyone through the agency sees that maybe that’s not quite the best way to do business. And so, openness among the bosses is translated to openness among the troops.”
Blake “Lumpy” Ball has been with Lubbock Fire and Rescue for almost 25 years. Ball said he has seen a change in the six years since a similar program started there
“You knew you wanted to talk about it, but you dealt with it in a different way,” Ball said. “Firefighters, public servants, military, law enforcement, EMS are known for their dark humor. And that’s the way we dealt with it for a long time, on top of other bad vices that we would involve that didn’t pay off. We’re seeing the improvement. We’re seeing the benefits. We’re seeing success stories that we would have lost people before.”
How to access the programs
Access to the wellness programs is a phone call for first responders. Counseling renline
“We weren’t created to go through this world alone,” Ball said. “We weren’t put in this job to go through it alone. We weren’t put on a crew to go on calls alone. We shouldn’t carry anything alone. If you’re dealing with something, pick up the phone, call me, call one of our brothers and sisters, call somebody.”
Both LPD and LFR say trauma comes with the job, but they say first responders shouldn’t have to carry that weight forever
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