E.239 How A Fire Chief-Turned-Therapist Is Changing First Responder Mental Health

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Strength without silence. That’s the thread running through our conversation with Jeff Dill, a former battalion chief turned licensed counselor and the founder of the Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance. Jeff has spent years validating firefighter and EMS suicide data, building workshops from real-world stories, and leading behavioral health efforts for Las Vegas Fire and Rescue. He brings hard-won clarity on what actually helps: simple language, daily habits, and policies that protect people when the job wears them thin.

We break down the internal size up, a practical check-in that asks, “Why am I acting this way? Why am I feeling this way?” It helps catch irritability, isolation, and sleep loss before they morph into bigger risks. Jeff draws a vital line between PTSD and moral injury—showing how betrayal, guilt, and shame often sit beneath the surface while treatment chases fear and trauma. Forgiveness becomes a survival skill, not a pass for bad behavior, and we talk about how to practice it without forgetting or restoring unsafe trust.

From there, we get tactical. Sleep debt, high call volumes, and 24-hour shifts push good people into impulsive decisions. Cultural brainwashing tells responders to be brave, strong, and self-reliant—until that story keeps them from getting help. We dig into the data, including surprising patterns among women in fire and EMS, and outline what a proactive program looks like: family education, annual mental health checkups, vetted clinicians outside insurance for privacy, real-time aftercare after tough calls, and telehealth to reach rural members. Leaders will hear budget-smart ways to protect training from the chopping block, and crews will gain language for checking on a partner without making it awkward.

You can reach Jeff at the following websites:

For the Firefighter Behavioral Alliance (FFBA), please go to: https://www.ffbha.org

For the moral injury white paper, download it by clicking: https://www.ffbha.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Moral-Injury-White-Paper-2-9-23.pdf

For the Firefighter Behavioral Alliance (FFBA) Facebook page, please go to https://www.facebook.com/FirefighterBehavioralHealthAlliance

If you’re a firefighter, EMT, dispatcher, or cop—or you love someone who is—you’ll walk away with tools you can use today and a clearer picture of how to build a healthier culture tomorrow. Subscribe, share this with your crew, and leave a review so others can find it. You’re not alone.

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