First responders face traumatic experiences and emergencies everyday.
“Those sights and sounds stick with us throughout our life, so the more those build up, the more sometimes it starts to wear on us,” said Northern Wake Fire Dept. Chaplain and Firefighter Lauren Deer.
When Deer came back from her first fatality call, she didn’t know how to handle it. That experience led her to becoming the fire chaplain for the Northern Wake Fire Dept.
Deer spends time building relationships with firefighters, leading conversations after major incidents and connecting firefighters to mental health resources.
According to a 2021 CDC blog, firefighters are more likely to die by suicide than in the line of duty.
“I think the most important thing is just support from the chiefs of the department and for the firefighters to know that their department cares about them,” Deer said.