NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Every day lives are saved thanks to the heroic actions of firefighters. But it's a job that isn't physically or mentally easy.
Matthew Tomek — president of the Tennessee Professional Fire Fighters Association — said oftentimes people don't know about the scars that years of service can leave behind.
"Yes, firefighters sign on to this kind of work, and they know that they're going to see some things that the general public does not see, but repeated over and over and over, it takes a toll on your mind. It takes a toll on your body," he said.
It's a toll that first responders sometimes ignore or are unable to address because they don't have access or the means to pay for mental health resources.
Jennifer Samples knows how important it is to seek help, not only as a first responder but also as someone who's experienced incredible loss.
Her husband, James Dustin Samples, worked as a firefighter for the Cleveland Fire Department for 21 years. He battled PTSD and died by suicide in 2020.
"As a spouse of a first responder, I see what that does when you come home and you've hidden it from your family. The strain and the separation it causes and the pressure it puts on a spouse of not knowing how to help or what to do. Knowing there is an issue, but not understanding it," she siad.
After years of advocating for changes, Samples' successfully helped pass a new law back in Aprilthat looks to prevent others from suffering the same fate. Starting next year firefighters will receive help paying for treatment related to PTSD.
The law is named after her husband.
"I know it's going to save lives, careers, marriages, parental relationships," Samples said.
