Flame and Fortune

How the Fire Service (Almost) Killed Me

De: Rick Bucher

Narrado por: Rick Bucher

Rick Bucher had a normal enough childhood, but his life has been extraordinary since. An adventure sports athlete, racer and instructor, Rick served as a firefighter/paramedic/rescue tech in Scottsdale, Arizona for 27 years. He answered over 16,000 calls for service.

After narrowly surviving a rock climbing accident, motorcycle wreck and a suicide attempt, he went on to receive treatment for PTSD and is now working to increase awareness of mental health issues in the public safety arena. He also went on to find his biological family after decades of unanswered questions about who he was and where he came from.

Eliminating the stigma of stepping forward for help and providing support for those who do is his new passion, and he tours the country following opportunities to share his story, speaking to groups and spreading a message of hope, resilience, and unity in the face of trauma. His story is a remarkable tale of redemption and a reminder of the power of the human spirit.

©2023 Rick Bucher (P)2023 Rick Bucher

Powerful. Just simply powerful.

This is a crucial story for those interested in the topics of mental health and suicide awareness. Rick tells his story and makes you feel like you’re sitting beside him on a park bench the whole time, listening to his tales of triumph and tragedy. You can almost feel the heat of the wildfire flames and can nearly smell the burnt rubber on a racetrack, and most poignantly, you can actually feel the strain and emotion of the stress and trauma accrued in a lifetime of service.

The most important part of Rick’s story, though, is the final few chapters that remind us no matter how dark things might seem in a moment, an hour, a day, week, month, or year, there is hope and recovery for those who seek it.

Thanks for sharing your story with us, Rick!