Firefighter of the year for 2002, PTSD got him fired

May 13, 2008 10:46

Firefighter, Paramedic Sues University Park
Reporting
Jack Fink UNIVERSITY PARK (CBS 11 News) ― A former firefighter-paramedic is suing University Park, claiming the city fired him because of his disability.

Jason Salisbury said the department let him go after a doctor diagnosed him with post traumatic stress disorder. He said he filed the lawsuit in the hopes of getting his job back.

Salisbury said since starting on the job back in 1998, he witnessed a murder and various suicides and other horrific situations while responding to emergency medical calls.

He said like many other emergency responders, he had nightmares, even years later.

So when he mentioned that to the department in 2006, he said they sent him for therapy, and he was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder.

He said the doctor cleared him to continue as a firefighter, but not a paramedic.

Salisbury, named Firefighter of the Year by the department back in 2002, said not long after that, the city told him not to come back to work.

"I've seen some horrific situations, and they bothered me... And I think anyone normal - if you see little kids dead, murders - it's going to bother you, and it bothered me," Salisbury said. "I talked to them about it, and they fired me for it."

Officials with the city said it has a great deal of sympathy, but they were concerned he would face traumatic situations if he returned. http://cbs11tv.com/local/firefighter.sues.UP.2.723509.html

When will people learn? When will they understand that PTSD is a wound? Do they fire firefighters for being wounded responding to fires? Do they fire them for doing their jobs? The why would they fire this firefighter because of what his job did to him?

He did the right thing. He went for help. Instead of giving him time to let the medical care for his wound help him heal, they fired him. This happens in the police force. It happens in the fire departments. It happens with other emergency responders. I have a feeling that it happens in the FBI and the CIA as well but we'll never hear about it. It happens in the military and we all know that.

There are different levels of PTSD just as their are different wounds from bullets and bombs. There are times when they can still do their jobs while being treated. It is not a one size fits all wound. There are times when they can no longer do their jobs and that is when they are on the high end of the scale. On the low end, they are still able to do their jobs. The responsibility of those in charge is to be able to determine if they are medically able to do their jobs. In this case, Jason Salisbury was still able to be a firefighter. So why was he fired? Couldn't they make some kind of arrangement for this firefighter who was so good at his job he was named firefighter of the year for 2002? How can they just ignore the kind of work he did all of a sudden because of a diagnosis of PTSD? PTSD is not a crime. PTSD is not illegal. It is not something to be ashamed of. So why is it that over and over again the wounded are being treated as if they are to blame for any of it?

Senior Chaplain Kathie Costos

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www.Namguardianangel.org
www.Woundedtimes.blogspot.com
"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation." - George Washington