01-03-2023, 02:16 PM
(01-03-2023, 02:10 PM)Sled21 Wrote: They say most people live their entire lives seeing 1.5 critical incidents, while most cops and firemen who make it through retirement see over 800. I don't think there's a 20-year police or firefighter out there anywhere that does not have some form of PTSD. You adopt a graveyard sense of humor to get through it, and most people do not understand how a person can seem so callous. It's self-preservation.
My FIL was a firefighter/paramedic and an ER nurse. He has some real gut wrenching stories but they don't seem to bother him to tell. I think he has that bit of callous that you've mentioned. "It just is what it is" type mentality. He recently retired from the department after 24 years but he is going back into nursing. Luckily, he is a happy, jolly, optimistic guy for the most part. Several of the stories are very tough, though.
