SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio firefighter is now the center of a pilot program that allows him to help his fellow brothers and sisters dealing with substance misuse.
His addition to the counseling team offers a professional therapist who also understands the trauma firefighters go through.
Chris Raymond has worked for the San Antonio Fire Department for 22 years, spending the last 15 on the technical rescue team.
His job in the department just shifted again, this time to the counseling team for a brand-new pilot program.
“As far as we can tell, the research we’ve done, it is the first of its kind, the only one in the nation. So right now, we’re kind of on the cutting edge of things,” Raymond said.
He said it’s not only the first to add a licensed chemical dependency counselor to a fire department team but also one that is a firefighter himself.
“Having a firefighter occupy the position of a clinician is unique. I don’t sit in the seat and think, ‘I wonder what that’s like.’ I’ve lived it, and in many cases, I’ve lived it with them,” Raymond said.
While the career is fulfilling, it can take its toll.
“We share in the community’s triumphs, but we also share in the community’s tragedies — that proximity to trauma and the physicality of the job,” he said.
While Raymond never misused substances himself, he has seen the struggle that comes after consistently witnessing tragedies
“Nationwide, the fire service as a whole, we wrestle with an overconsumption of alcohol, and, in some cases, even prescription medicine misuse,” Raymond said.
Whether the substance use involves disease of addiction, or a way to cope with trauma, Raymond said the hardest part for first responders is the stigma.
When preparing for the story KSAT asked Raymond if he could find a client to speak about their personal experience. However, none of them felt comfortable opening up about this issue.
“The stigma still exists. Addiction or substance-related issues, they tend to isolate us. When in actuality, a lot of people understand you, and you are not the only one,” Raymond said.
The department is trying to make sure every firefighter knows that.
There are signs at every fire station with a QR code. All firefighters have to do is scan it, and it takes them to an internal website where there are different levels of support.
The first level is peer support. There are more than 60 firefighters in the department trained to help each other.
The next level would now be Raymond, the LCDC, and then the department psychologist who works in the health building, too.
Raymond wanted to make it clear he treats the entire family, meaning he sees the family members of firefighters as well.
“I want to be able to treat their spouses, their significant others, their children, and the administration gave a resounding, ‘Yes, if that’s what they need, then that’s where we will treat,’” Raymond explained.
He is trying to create an environment free of shame, planning social events for firefighters and their families that are alcohol and nicotine free.
He even keeps a shelf full of products in his office that are alternatives to nicotine.
The pilot program just started in mid-October, but Raymond is already seeing progress.
“I have seen an uptick in people feeling more comfortable to speak, which is great. I want this to be an all-encompassing place where the firefighters and their families know that they’re cared for, that someone here understands, and that we’re trying to get them all the help that we need,” Raymond said.
He hopes the program will eventually become permanent.