Firefighter's bar in Herriman hosts discussion on first responder trauma

HERRIMAN — The experiences of first responders can lead to depression, anxiety trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder.

One Utah firefighter hopes to tackle those issues head-on through a series of community discussions hosted at his new bar in Herriman.

Called "Real Talk, On the Rocks," the monthly chats will be focused on a host of different community issues, according to bar owner Bret Morley, but the inaugural discussion Monday featured a topic very close to the firefighter's heart.

"Those long-term damages that are caused by the lifestyle — we can mitigate those and live a lot happier," Morley told KSL-TV during an interview Monday afternoon.

Another local firefighter, Dave Terrion, was the presenter and talked about the impacts of stress and trauma on the brain and daily functions such as sleep.

"Rather than deal with this stuff, it wakes us up," Terrion said of traumatic memories.

He explained that some common warning signs may be harder to detect in first responders.

"When they're depressed, they don't say they're sad," Terrion told the group in attendance on Monday. "Suicide can be a very impulsive decision, and first responders can act on it very impulsively — without a plan, without all the classic suicide signs that we talk about."

Terrion also talked about several potential resources and ways first responders can help deal with work trauma, including healthy and consistent sleep, healthy diet and exercise, eye movement and desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, and having the right kind of therapist.

"Having somebody to talk to, to deal with small problems before they become big problems, is just as important," Terrion explained at one point during the discussion. "The key to that is finding somebody that understands you and understands our job, and that's a really hard thing to do if you're in crisis."

Terrion said it is good to have family members or friends around who can recognize potential issues.

Morley said departments have gotten better at offering resources to first responders, and the younger generation has been more aware of the potential issues.

"For that older generation, it is still a trudge, right, to get those guys to really look at the problems that it's caused and to seek out and get that help," Morley said. "The trauma causes problems in us that we can fix."

Morley hopes the discussions will grow and be of great value to firefighters, police and other first responders as they navigate work stresses.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, it doesn't mean you're not good at your job," Morley said. "It's just another part of the job that you have to take care of."

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