The Minister of Interior Abdulrahman Dambazau has said the nature of the firefighters’ job exposes them to mental illness.
Dambazau made this assertion on Wednesday while declaring open a one-day seminar tagged: “The negative effects of stress, trauma and hazardous exposure on mental health” organised by the Federal Fire Service (FFS) for its personnel in partnership with Melville Healthcare Centre.
While advising them to regularly seek medical help, the Minister stressed that: “Firefighters work tends to be regarded as inherently stressful because of the personal risk of exposure to stressful and traumatic incidents.
“When those problems, however, become overwhelming despite your efforts to cope, that is a sure sign you need additional help.”
In his keynote address, the Controller General of FFS, Anebi Garba said firefighters make personal sacrifices in serving the country and deserved supports to cope with the mental health issues that result from their services.
Anebi who said the Service have put in place several packages to successfully manage those hazards faced by personnel, added that those efforts have not been adequate.
“It is our hope that things will change and firefighters will have access to mental health care, so we can truly save our own’’, he stressed.
A consultant Psychiatrist at Melville Healthcare Center, Dr. Adebimpe Alder said common mental disorders among firefighters were; alcohol and substance abuse, depression, acute stress disorder, post traumatic stress disorder among others.
