Fire chief opens up about his mental health diagnosis while being a first responder
By KCRA Staff
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DAVIS, California (KCRA) — During Mental Illness Awareness Week, and what’s already been a difficult fire season this year in California, the UC Davis fire chief is sharing his personal experiences in hopes of helping others.
Nathan Trauernicht spoke with KCRA 3 about some of the mental health challenges that come with being a first responder and why he chose to go public with his diagnosis.
He noted that first responders “see a lot of challenging and traumatic things and are put in stressful situations.”
“If we aren’t listening to ourselves and to our co-workers, unfortunately, bad things can happen to us,” he said.
“We have to be able to have a conversation about mental health and sharing our lived experiences,” he said. “In doing that, we’re learning how to care about ourselves and also we can help support each other.”
*** If you or someone you know needs help, you can call the National Suicide Prevention lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or you can chat online. ***
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