A local firefighter is not only protecting people from fires, but stepping in to prevent youth suicides. Since starting with the Mission Township Fire Dept. at just 22 years old, Lt. Tyler Abernathy has been working for the last few years to make a difference in the lives of kids in the community.
Not long after starting he was quickly promoted to being the fire prevention officer, “So I was in charge of basically doing public education with the elementary school students," Abernathy explained.
But, when his department started running more suicides and self-harm attempts than actual house fires, Abernathy realized they needed to shift their educational focus. "I thought well if we are putting so much time and training into teaching these kids how to be safe, why don't we teach these kids how to be peer support and help each other?” Abernathy said.