PHOTO: They save your homes.
When a call comes in about a raging fire, they jump in the engine, sirens race to the scene and battle to keep a home from burning down.
But those are the rare calls. For the most part, firefighters are the last line of defense, fighting to keep people from crossing over from life to death.
Peoria firefighters do CPR on kids pulled out of pools, push down on gunshot wounds pumping out blood and cut teenagers out of grisly car wrecks.
A budding peer support program is helping responders realize they need to talk about the traumatic experiences that are part of the job.
“There’s always been a stigma associated with seeking help from these types of incidents,” said Peoria Fire-Medical Deputy Chief Rob Brewster, a firefighter for 31 years.
“The old saying was, ‘Suck it up, buttercup.’