Douglas County Sheriff Jay Armbrister says first responders carry a lifetime of scars, mental and physical, from experiences in the field that require years of healing. It is the mental traumas from the day-to-day sights that are most hazardous and difficult to overcome, he said. Armbrister testified in support of Senate Bill 491 last week, which would secure workers’ compensation for first responders suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and shared his traumas. He shared how the emotional damage of seeing the body of a dead child dwarfs the physical injury suffered after smashing a window in a submerged vehicle. He shared on the Kansas Reflector podcast he would tell his story to make clear why supporting first responder wellness is critical, no matter how many scars it rips off. “It is absolutely worth it in order to get the legislators to understand exactly what it is that they’re talking about,” Armbrister said. “It’s really about destigmatizing the terms but also understanding that day to day, our local first responders are dealing with some s*** that ain’t nobody supposed to be dealing with.”
Source: The Lawrence Times
