In what has been arguably the toughest year in recent history for first responders, access to care for post-traumatic stress disorder remains out of reach through the state's workers' compensation law.
Back in February, the I-Team reported on a bill in Madison that would include PTSD as a workplace injury for firefighters and police officers. But since then the plan has stalled in the Legislature, another setback caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Joe Flick, a Milwaukee firefighter and the president of Ignite the Spirit Milwaukee, reminds us that the pandemic doesn't stop first responders from answering the call.
"We're still going to all the fires and the car accidents and you know all the trauma that we see," Flick said. "But now, the call volume is much higher as well."
Flick said for many of his fellow firefighters, PTSD doesn't typically come from one specific scene. Instead, it builds call after call.