VIDEO: The Charleston Fire Department is hoping to pilot a new app to expand mental health resources for its firefighters.
Firefighters have a heightened risk of developing PTSD, depression, anxiety and alcohol use disorders because of their repeated exposure to stress and trauma, recent studies from the National Institute of Health show.
“It almost gets stuck where it’s just auto-playing in your mind, it plays over and over and over again,” Robert Baldwin, the Assistant Chief of Special Operations for the Charleston Fire Department, said, “Being able to say it out loud, have someone to talk with, someone who can relate to what you’re going through, helps that individual process.”
The Charleston City Council will vote to approve the contract with First Response Mental Health on Tuesday for a 2-year pilot program for an app called “PeerConnect.”