(WorkSafe Saskatchewan/Facebook)

By Derek Craddock

OVERCOMING PTSD

‘You’re not broken forever’: P.A. firefighter shares story of overcoming PTSD

Dec 23, 2021 | 8:00 AM

A longtime member of the Prince Albert Fire Department is sharing his story of overcoming Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Jeff Reeder, a 16-year veteran of the department, developed PTSD after he and his wife were in a motor vehicle collision in December of 2006.

In a video produced by WorkSafe Saskatchewan, Reeder recalled the terrible collision as he and his were on their way to Saskatoon. His wife was pregnant with their first child at the time.

“She was hit on her door and was pinned. I remember seeing the look on her face, the screams and I remember feeling helpless being next to her and I couldn’t actually help her,” Reeder said in the video.

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Reeder’s wife made a full recovery, but Jeff’s mental struggles were just beginning. He recalled having flashbacks of the collision daily as he returned to work, each re-enactment in his mind only grew worse.

He acknowledged anxiety became more prevalent every day and he was unable to concentrate and function while on duty.

In 2010, he said he hit a wall and needed to do something. He ended up taking time off for a year and three months.

“At that time not knowing what I’m supposed to do, there was no road map,” he said in the video. “After nine months, I was cut off (from treatment) and I was supposed to be healed at that point, but I was no further ahead. I couldn’t control my anger.”

He said at one point he felt ripped apart from his kids, that his kids never knew their father without PTSD.

“It was the worst time of my life.”

Thankfully, Jeff’s story doesn’t end there. As a lover of horses, he eventually stepped into a round pen with a horse and found his symptoms starting to wear off.

The more he did that activity, the better he felt and he started to understand what PTSD does and how he could rewire his brain in a positive way. Over the next four months, he saw great improvement and was able to return to work.

With the tools that he gained, Reeder wanted to help other first responders suffering from anxiety and PTSD.

Reeder and a group of other emergency service personnel would help create the Sask. First Responders Mental Health Committee and has seen it grow ever since.

The committee aims to improve access to resources and provide leadership and recommended practices that promote positive mental health for first responders across the province.

One of the biggest items the group hopes to tackle is erasing the stigma around PTSD for those on the front lines.

“Making people aware that just because you’ve been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress, it’s an injury just like a broken leg, it’s not the end of the world, you’re not broken forever,” Reeder said in the video.

“Post-traumatic stress is real but so is recovery. There is hope out there so reach out.”

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derek.craddock@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @PA_Craddock