Chicago paramedics need our help to save their own lives
Chicago Sun Times
By Phil Kadner
August 7, 2018
As Frank Crossin, coordinator of the fire department union assistance program, told me, “We were all required to take a four-hour class on how to put out a pallet fire when I was in the department, but there were no mandatory classes like that on PTSD.”
Twelve people were killed and 71 shot in Chicago over the weekend. More than 1,700 people have been shot so far this year. And almost every time, Chicago paramedics are on the scene trying to save lives.
When a man used a knife to nearly decapitate the head of his 2-year-old son, Chicago paramedics responded.
At every horrific traffic accident, each time a teenager overdoses on heroin, when a baby is physically abused, or someone’s flesh is burned in a fire, the paramedics are there trying to save a life.
Yet, to my amazement, nobody has ever done a study of the toll taken by the stress on their lives.
There is no medically trained mental health expert (psychiatrist or psychologist) employed full-time by the Chicago Fire Department to monitor their well-being.
As one field supervisor told me, there is no mandatory class, no significant training, to help paramedics identify the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder or help supervisors deal with people suffering from such symptoms.
There needs to be academic research on the impact of stress on Chicago paramedics. There needs to be a baseline mental health analysis conducted so evidence of stress can be tracked over years. And mental health professionals ought to be employed to make this a real priority within the Chicago Fire Department.
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Orlando backed out of settlement with officer suffering PTSD after Pulse, wife says
Orlando Sentinel
David Harris
August 7, 2018
The wife of a retired Orlando police officer diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after the massacre at Pulse nightclub said the city has backed out of a proposed settlement in his workers’ compensation lawsuit.
Orlando Police officer Gerry Realin was part of the small hazmat team that was responsible for removing the bodies from Pulse nightclub. He now struggles with PTSD and blood pressure so high he was recently admitted to the hospital.
Gerry Realin was rendered permanently disabled after working on the team that removed bodies from Pulse after the attack in June 2016, which left him with PTSD according to the lawsuit.
He is suing the city and the Orlando Police Department in Orange County circuit court, claiming lost wages and medical benefits, as well as Occupational Safety and Health Administration violations.
His wife Jessica Realin said the parties met for mediation in June and came to a proposed settlement, but her attorney called her Monday to say the city backed out of the deal.
She declined to say what the settlement was.
“Gerry wanted to move on,” his wife said. “He felt like he wanted to be completely separated [from the city]. He didn’t feel like he could handle trial. I guess the city wants a trial.”
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Florida restaurant cancels NFL package over national anthem protests
FOX News
Ryan Gaydos
August 7, 2018
The restaurant will save more than $5,000 by canceling its package and instead will offer veterans 40 percent off on food Sundays during game days, the station reported.
Beef O'Brady's felt the protests showed a "lack of compassion and gratitude" for service members. (Google Street View)
A Florida restaurant decided to cancel its DirecTV NFL package over the controversy about players kneeling during the national anthem to protest social injustices.
Curtis West, who co-owns Beef O’Brady’s in Brooksville with his wife Janet, told FOX13 Tampa Bay on Monday there will be no NFL games shown because of the “disrespect” the players have shown.
“Last year, with the kneeling and the disrespect to our veterans and our flag and our country, I was very upset,” West told the station.
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Sailor killed, another injured in California after fuel tank detached from Sea Hawk helicopter
STARS AND STRIPES
By COREY DICKSTEIN
Published: August 7, 2018
WASHINGTON — A Navy helicopter crewmember was killed and another suffered minor injuries last week at a California base when a fuel tank detached from a utility helicopter and landed on them, Navy officials said Tuesday.
An aircrew assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 85 prepares to take off in a HH-60H Sea Hawk helicopter from Naval Air Station North Island, Calif., Oct. 19, 2016. CHARLES E. WHITE/U.S. NAVY
Navy Helicopter Aircrewman 1st Class Jonathan Richard Clement died July 30 when an auxiliary fuel tank fell on him from an HH-60H Sea Hawk during “hotseat” operations at Naval Air Station North Island, said Navy Cmdr. Ron Flanders, a spokesman for Naval Air Forces. During hotseat operations, a helicopter typically lands, is refueled or the crew is switched out while it is still running and quickly takes off again.
The helicopter was on the ground when the fuel tank fell, Flanders said. It contained fuel and potentially weighed some 1,500 pounds.
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Army Dad With PTSD Breaks Down in Tears as He's Surprised With Service Dog
Inside Edition
INSPIRATIONAL
August 7, 2018
A Texas dad suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder was moved to tears when his family surprised him with a service dog.
Rudy Pena, of Amarillo, couldn’t believe his eyes as he read a letter his kids Aubrie, Trever and Adrian presented him, explaining that they were giving him a service dog to help combat his night terrors and depression.
“I’m very lucky to have a family that cares and loves me enough to find him for me,” he told T and T Creative.
Pena has been an Army Combat Medic for the last 10 years, doing two deployments in Iraq before he was diagnosed with cancer.
He has been battling PTSD since returning from service.
“We’ve tried everything possible but as most veterans know, there is no cure and memories never go away," his wife Samantha said. “He has seen his brothers die in his arms and the memories haunt him."
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