Forty-five local clinicians attended the first search and rescue training session in Central Florida
to give therapists a better understanding of the perils first responders diagnosed with PTSD face in the field.
The program, sponsored by Orange County Fire Department’s Safety & Wellness Division, involved
members of fire and rescue units from across the state, including Palm Beach County. Jeremy Hurd, a chaplain with Palm Beach County Training and Safety Division, said the reaction from therapists who have taken the two-day training session has been “phenomenal.”
"Living it is different than talking about it,” Hurd said. “The first time they walk into this class, put the gear on and see that it’s not like the movies, it gives them that perspective and they have a connection with firefighters, you can’t even describe.”