Mental Health Mayday: A Firefighter's Survival Guide from Recruit through Retirement

From their swearing-in all to the way until retirement, even the most hardened firefighters can be affected by mental health concerns. A fascinating look behind the scenes of the career of a firefighter, this book explores the why and explains the how to better prepare these individuals for a healthy and productive career and life, based on the author's personal experience as a counselor, who also has 27 years as a firefighter and paramedic. Firefighters can learn how to acknowledge their mental health issues, such as PTSD, addiction, or anger issues while developing strategies to address these concerns with techniques and solutions throughout their career. This powerful book is part memoir and part call to action. Through the tales of his own journey from recruitment through his pending plans for retirement, Bagdade reveals the humanity behind the heroic archetype of the American firefighter. In doing this, he takes the reader on a journey, starting from his chaotic upbringing, negotiating the basics of what it takes to be a Chicago Firefighter, and ultimately retiring well with the ability to keep mentally strong and capable. Mental Health Mayday creates a tapestry of interwoven allegories, personal experience, and a wealth of valuable knowledge that exposes the reader to the soft underbelly of the fire service. Firefighters and non- firefighters alike will be interested to see how the traumatic events experienced by fire service personnel affect their mental health and will find solace in knowing best practices for managing these situations. This book also acts as a stand alone book on mental health, simply framed into the world of the fire service. ENDORSED BY ILLINOIS FIRE FIGHTER PEER SUPPORT2 BY CHICAGO FIREFIGHTER'S UNION, LOCAL