‘This Is Not A Sign Of Weakness’: Oklahoma City Fire Department Prioritizing Mental Health For Firefighters

First responders are always a call away to help us when we need them. However, their job comes with a lot of stress. An Oklahoma City man has decided to answer the call for firefighters. 

Saving a life requires sacrifice, just ask a firefighter.   

“All we can do is to show up to do the best thing we can,” said Lt. Steve Harris, the chaplain for the Oklahoma City Fire Department. “You feel like you’re protecting a portion of the city. It is a dangerous job to do.”  

Chaplain Harris supports firefighters when they need help because some emergency calls are hard to process. 

“They can have effects on you,” Harris said. 

On Monday firefighters tried to save a group of boys at Lake Overholser who fell into the water. Two children lost their lives. Emergencies with kids strike a different nerve. 

“Nobody wants that to happen,” Harris said. 

Harris said a lot has changed since he joined Oklahoma City Fire.  

“When I came on, we didn’t talk about mental stress at all,” Harris said. “It was just, ‘this is what you signed up for, do your job’.”  

The Ruderman Foundation found firefighters and police officers are more likely to die by suicide than in the line of duty.  

“We wanna save and take care of our own as well,” said Harris, about why mental health awareness is important. “This is not a sign of weakness.”  

Firefighter well-being, mental health training, and professional counseling are an active part of this mission.  

“I can use my experiences from the past to come alongside people that might be struggling with something,” Harris said. 

Harris said listening might save a life and heal the minds of the people who protect Oklahoma City. 

“Friends talking to each other and showing that they care helps a lot of things,” Harris said.