To honor a fallen firefighter and examine mental health issues among fire service workers, NSU will host Surviving the Fire Service: A National Memorial Conference on April 13 in the Steele Auditorium from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The proceeds from the conference will be used to support the two children of Michael Valdez, a firefighter who was killed in action. Speakers from the Fire Department of the City of New York, the International Association of Firefighters, the Chicago Fire Department, the Milwaukee Fire Department, the Houston Fire Department, the Broward Sherriff’s Office and NSU’s psychology and criminal justice programs will address stress-related behavioral issues among firefighters.
Todd LeDuc, Broward Sheriff’s Office Division Chief of Health and Safety, has had 27 years of experience in the fire service. He came up with the idea for the conference. This is the first time that the conference will take place.
“We’ve identified behavioral health concerns with first responders and firefighters in particular as an area that needs attention,” LeDuc said. “We want to look at other departments throughout the country with issues like firefighter suicide, depression, post-traumatic stress disorders and sleep disorders.”
LeDuc explained that the fire service is a profession where workers experience multiple and repetitive traumas, like in law enforcement and the military. He said that acknowledging behavioral health issues can be seen as a sign of weakness in a paramilitary culture like the fire service.
“We’re expected, when the alarm rings, to be mentally and physically ready to respond at the highest levels, but without appropriate resources in place to address behavioral wellness there can be very serious consequences, sometimes fatal ones,” he said.
Jim Brinkley from the International Association of Fire Fighters in D.C. will discuss programs that the IAFF has put in place to assist firefighters struggling with mental illnesses. Frank Leto, Deputy Director of the FDNY Counseling Unit, will speak on programs that FDNY has put in place to proactively assist firefighters.
The Broward Sheriff’s Office is collaborating with NSU to host the conference. The Broward Sheriff’s Office has partnered with NSU since 2007 to create academic leadership programming and conduct research on law enforcement and the fire service.
“Hopefully attendees will come away with an understanding of the magnitude of the issue of behavioral health, and what programs are out there nationally that are
recognized as best practices, and how they can fit those into their own programs and departments,” LeDuc said.
Kimberly Durham, chair of the Department of Justice and Human Services in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, said that NSU plans to host the conference annually.
“We want NSU to become a place of national focus, where we were the purveyors of information that was helpful and beneficial to other firefighting units across the nation and the community,” she explained. “I’d like someone, somewhere to ask, ‘Are you going to the NSU conference this year?’”
Durham said that the partnership between NSU and BSO has been recognized by the Department of Justice for research, training and educational programming.
“Our partnership is unique because President Hanbury and Sherriff Israel both value research and the benefits that can come from distributing information,” she said.
Tammy Kushner, executive associate dean of the Department of Justice and Human Services in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, said that even though the conference is open to everyone, she expects that the majority of conference attendants will be firefighters or other fire service employees.
“A large portion of the conference will be dedicated to stress and suicide prevention,” she said.
LeDuc also said that it’s the community’s responsibility to put adequate behavioral health resources in place for fire service workers.
The conference is open to everyone and the registration cost is $25. To register, visit nsubso.nova.edu/conference. For more information, email kd737@nova.edu or call 954-262-7009.
Photo Credit: Printed with permission from T. Kushner.
