ROCHESTER, N.Y. – A new report shows just how stressed out first responders are. Chief Investigative Reporter Berkeley Brean spoke to the authors of the report.

Berkeley Brean, News10NBC: “What is it that you’ve discovered about first responders?”

Robin Jacobowitz, Benjamin Center at SUNY New Paltz: “I would say the big takeaway is that first responders are struggling.”

Robin Jacobowitz and Amy Nitza are researchers at SUNY New Paltz, north of New York City. They surveyed 6,000 police, firefighters, EMTs and 911 operators. More than 300 of them work in the Rochester area.

“We found high rates of stress, high rates of burnout, anxiety and first responders are really struggling with the challenges of their work and mental health,” Jacobowitz said.

Berkeley Brean: “And why is that do you think?”

Jacobowitz and Nitza said they got answers they expected — stress from witnessing traumatic things. But then, a surprise many of us can relate to.

“First responders also reported about the stress of the daily grind of their work. Overtime. Long schedules,” Jacobowitz said. “That kind of stuff that just really grates on a person over time.”

Captain Dave Bagley of the Rochester Fire Department recounted a scene that happened a block from the fire house on Hudson Avenue where a woman was hit and killed by a car.

“There are other times where you go on calls and you might see death or families going through some stuff and that kind of gets to you,” Capt. Bagley said.

Not only does the survey find high rates of stress and anxiety, it finds there aren’t enough counselors who know what the first responders are really going through.

Amy Nitza, Institute for Disaster Mental Health, SUNY New Paltz: “So they go to work everyday and face things everyday that most of us maybe only see once or twice in our lifetime.”

Governor Kathy Hochul’s proposed budget includes a scholarship for first responders to go back to school to become certified mental health counselors.

Berkeley Brean: “So that way the helpers have walked in the shoes of the people they’re trying to help.”

Amy Nitza: “Exactly.”

Robin Jacobowitz: “We heard about that a lot, that first responders will seek out a person for support and that person just does not understand what it means to have been in their shoes and to have done that work.”

The Rochester Fire Department and the fire fighter’s union is filling that counselor gap. On the wall inside Bagley’s fire house is a list of firefighters who can be called if anyone needs to talk.

“I feel when I first came on there was a stigma not to discuss things. I think now our union has made strides to give us some avenues to take to really help ourselves out,” Capt. Bagley said.

One of the things that surprised the researchers is that the group that reported the most stress were 911 operators. In Monroe County, they answer 2,500 calls a day.

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