A Jacksonville firefighter battling for PTSD benefits is getting support from a state leader.
“Sometimes we need to show them that we’ve got their back,” said Jimmy Patronis, who is Florida’s chief financial officer and state fire marshal. “[First responders] have our backs technically 24/7, 365 days a year every time we dial 911.”
Patronis filed an “Amicus Curiae Brief” on July 30. It is also known as a “friend of the court brief” that voices his support for first responders getting benefits for any mental and nervous injuries.
JFRD firefighter Jerome Patterson is seeking medical benefits for mental or nervous injuries of PTSD.
He has already been denied twice.
“There is definitely a powerful psychological burden that comes from the trauma that these men and women experience,” Patronis said.
Randy Wyse, Jacksonville Association of Firefighters Union Chief, agrees.