[ APPLAUSE ]
>>> GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE. GOOD MORNING.ING, EVERYONE.
GOOD MORNING.
AND WELCOME. IM MEGYN KELLY.
WE BEGIN TODAY WITH
FIREFIGHTERS.
THEY RISK THEIR LIVES EVERY TIME THEY ARE CALLED TO DUTY.ERY TIME
THEY ARE CALLED TO DUTY. AND IN TODAYS SHOW, SOME WILL
SHARE A SIDE OF THEMSELVES WE
RARELY SEE.
BEING ON THE FRONT LINES OF
TRAGEDIES WILL LEAVE SOME OF OUR FIRST RESPONDERS WITHSOME OF OUR
FIRST RESPONDERS WITH OVERWHELMING STRESS.
OVERWHELMING STRESS.
GIVEN THEIR NEED TO STAY STRONG
IN A CRISIS, THE INSTINCT IS
OFTEN TO DO THAT.
STAY STRONG, DONT ASK FOR HELP,
YOURE ASKED.
THERES CONSEQUENCES TO THAT DECISION.NSEQUENCES TO THAT
DECISION.
AND DAVID USHRY, AN ANCHOR FROM
OUR NEW YORK STATION, HAS A LOOK.EW YORK STATION, HAS A
LOOK.
>> THIS IS A REDUCED PROFILE
DRILL.
GOOD JOB.
>> Reporter: JACQUES ROY IS A
TEXTBOOK FIREFIGHTER.
PHYSICALLY FIT, A CAPTAIN, SERVING THE CITY OF STAMFORD
WHERE HE GREW UP.
WHAT HAPPENED CHRISTMAS DAY 2011, GOT TO HIM.ISTMAS DAY
2011, GOT TO HIM. >> I WAS THE GUY.
I WAS THE GUY WHO COULDNT HACK
IT.
IT.
I WAS THE GUY WHO NEEDED HELP.
I NEVER THOUGHT IT WOULD BE ME. BUT IT WAS ME.T IT WOULD BE ME.
BUT IT WAS ME. >> Reporter: WITH PRESENTS
WRAPPED AND UNDER THE TREE, FIRE
BROKE OUT AT THE HOME OF MADONNA
BADGER.
BADGER.
IT WAS MERCILESS. 7-YEAR-OLD TWINS, THEIR
9-YEAR-OLD SISTER AND MATERNAL
GRANDPARENTS ALL DIED ON
CHRISTMAS MORNING THE WHEN
CAPTAIN ROY AND HIS TEAM CAME IN TO RELIEVE THE FIRST SHIFT, THEN
TO RELIEVE THE FIRST SHIFT, THE GRANDFATHER AND THE GIRLS WERE
STILL MISSING. >> OUR CREW RECOVERED THOSE TWO
BODIES.
BODIES.
IN THE DAYS THAT FOLLOWED, THE WHITISH-PINK COLOR I EXPERIENCED
AT THE SCENE, EVERY TIME I SAW
IT, I WOULD RELIVE THE INCIDENT.
AND I WOULD DRIVE MY KIDS TO
SCHOOL.
SCHOOL.
I DROPPED THEM OFF AND EVERY GIRL HAD A BACKPACK WITH THAT
COLOR ON IT.
>> Reporter: YOU SEE YOUR EYES.
YOURE IN A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN
COMFORTABLY TALK ABOUT IT.
BUT STILL, ITS A STRUGGLE WITH
SOMETHING LIKE THAT, RIGHT?
>> YEAH.
ITS NEVER PLEASANT. NEVER PLEASANT.ANT.
NEVER PLEASANT. >> Reporter: CAPTAIN ROY SPEAKS
HALTINGLY ABOUT THAT DAY.
AND HES ONLY ABLE TO DO SO
AFTER GETTING THE COUNSELING HE
NEEDED FROM A TRAUMA SPECIALIST.
BUT SO MANY OF OUR FIRST
RESPONDERS DONT GET HELP AND
THEYRE HURTING.
THEYRE HURTING. WE KNOW, BECAUSE THEY TOLD US.
IN
IN
NBC PARTNERED WITH THE NATIONAL FIREFIGHTERS AND SENT SURVEYSAL
FIREFIGHTERS AND SENT SURVEYS ACROSS NORTH AMERICA.
7,000 FIREFIGHTERS PAINTED A
PICTURE OF PEOPLE TRYING TO COPE
WITH MENTAL HEALTH AND PTSD.
27% SAY THE STRESS HAS LED TO
SUBSTANCE ABUSE.
SUBSTANCE ABUSE. AND 19% SAY THEY HAVE HAD
THOUGHTS OF SUICIDE.
BY THE VERY NATURE OF THE JOB,
FIREFIGHTERS HAVE TO
COMPARTMENTALIZE.
COMPARTMENTALIZE.
THEY HAVE TO SET ASIDE EMOTIONS AT THE MOMENT.ET ASIDE EMOTIONS
AT THE MOMENT. >> WE SUFFER FROM THE SAME
CHALLENGES THE GENERAL PUBLIC
DOES.
DOES.
FINANCIAL ISSUES.
MARITAL ISSUES.
NOW, YOU COMPOUND THAT WITH THE
HORROR YOU SEE EVERY DAY.
IT ADDS UP.
>> SO, THESE FIREFIGHTERS, WHO
COME RUNNING WITH GEAR THATS
ALMOST 50 POUNDS, COME WITH EMOTIONAL BAGGAGE THATS THERE
LONGER.
LONGER.
SO MANY ARE AFRAID TO TALK ABOUT
IT BECAUSE OF THE PERCEPTION. 81% SAY THEY WILL APPEAR WEAK.
87% SAY ITS KEEPING THEM FROM
GETTING THE HELP THEY NEED.
ITS A NUMBER TWO HIGH.
THATS WHY JACQUES ROY IS
TALKING ABOUT IT, TO US AND TO
HIS BRETHREN.
HIS BRETHREN. >> IT MAY SEEM CONTRARY TO
EVERYTHING YOURE THINKING TO
YOURSELF.
YOURSELF.
WERE NOT SUPERHEROS.
WERE HUMAN.
>> JOINING ME NOW, CAPTAIN
JACQUES ROY AND DAVID UKSHERUSHE
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
BEFORE YOU GOT TO THE HOUSE ON
CHRISTMAS DAY, YOU HAD BEEN
THROUGH A LOT OF FIRE TRAUMAS
AND OTHER TRAUMAS AS A
FIREFIGHTER?
AS A CAPTAIN, RIGHT?
>> I HAD 19 YEARS OF SERVICE AT THE TIME OF THAT INCIDENT.CE AT
THE TIME OF THAT INCIDENT. >> WHAT WAS DIFFERENT ABOUT THAT
DAY?
DAY? I DONT KNOW IF IT WAS THAT
PARTICULAR INCIDENT.
PARTICULAR INCIDENT.
IF IT WAS SO OVERWHELMING OR A TIPPLING POINT OF A NUMBER OFA
TIPPLING POINT OF A NUMBER OF PREVIOUS INCIDENTS.
PREVIOUS INCIDENTS. THE FACT THAT IT WAS CHRISTMAS,
THE FACT THERE WERE YOUNG
CHILDREN INVOLVED, AND I HAD
CHILDREN OF THE SAME AGE, I
COULD RELATE TO IT.
IT SEEMED TO AFFECT ME MORE THAN
I HAD EVER BEFORE.
>> I KNOW YOU HAD TO DEAL WITH
THE BODIES THAT WAS MORE
INTIMATE IN A WAY THAN IS NORMAL
FOR FIREFIGHTERS.
FOR FIREFIGHTERS. NORMALLY THE M.E., THE CORONER,
WILL TAKE OVER.
OBVIOUSLY, THAT WOULD BE
TRAUMATIC.
TRAUMATIC.
HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU AFTER IT HAPPENED, JACQUES, TO AFTER
IT HAPPENED, JACQUES, TO REALIZE, IM NOT GELTTING OVER
IT.
IT.
THE THING I THOUGHT I COULD
BRUSH PAST, I CANT. >> YEAH.ST, I CANT.
>> YEAH.
I HAD A REACTION IMMEDIATELY. IRRITABLE, UNABLE TO SLEEP, WHAT
HAVE YOU.
HAVE YOU.
A LOT OF CLASSIC SYMPTOMS OF PTSD. OF CLASSIC SYMPTOMS OF
PTSD.
HOPING OR THINKING THAT IN A WEEK, TWO WEEKS, A MONTH, IT
WOULD GET BETTER.
AND IT WASNT GETTING BETTER.
I WAS DOING WORSE.
IT WAS AFTER TWO TO THREE
MONTHS, ALMOST THREE MONTHS,
WHERE I REALIZED THAT I NEEDED
HELP.
HELP. THE CLENCHER FOR ME WAS, I HAD
THESE UNWANTED FLASHBACKS,
INTRUSIVE IMAGES.
INTRUSIVE IMAGES. AS I MENTIONED IN THE PIECE,
EVERY TIME I SAW THIS SHADE OF
PINK, I WOULD RELIVE THE
INCIDENT.
INCIDENT.
AND THE FINAL STRAW FOR ME WAS WITH MY SON.L STRAW FOR ME WAS
WITH MY SON. ONE OF MY SONS JUMPED UP ON MY
LAP.
LAP.
AND WHEN WE HAD TO REMOVE THESE
BODIES, I MOVED THE LITTLE GIRL. I WAS AT HER HEAD.E LITTLE GIRL.
I WAS AT HER HEAD. AND IT WAS JUST A VERY SIMILAR
POSITIONING.
POSITIONING. AND I HAD A COMPLETE FLASHBACK.
I WAS IN THE ROOM AGAIN.
I WANTED TO SHOVE MY SON OFF MY
LAP.
LAP. 19 YEARS OF SERVICE, I NEVER HAD
ANYTHING COME CLOSE TO THAT
HAPPENING.
HAPPENING.
I LOVE THE JOB. I STILL LOVE THE JOB.
ITS THE BEST JOB IN THE WORLD
99% OF THE TIME.
THERES 1% OF THE TIME WHEN
YOUD RATHER BE ANYWHERE ELSE.
NOW THE JOB WAS AFFECTING MY
ABILITY TO ENJOY MY OWN
CHILDREN.
AND YOU KNOW, THATS NOT ACCEPTABLE.W, THATS NOT
ACCEPTABLE.
I HAD TO GET HELP.
I MEAN --
>> HOW HARD IS IT TO SIT HERE
AND TALK ABOUT THAT NEED FOR
HELP?
ITS HARD. AGAIN, ITS NEVER PLEASANT.
BUT AS I FOUND, IM NOT THE ONLY
GUY THAT FEELS THAT WAY.
YOU KNOW?
YOU KNOW?
THE SURVEYS VERY TELLING AND ITS NOT SURPRISING TO ME.AND
ITS NOT SURPRISING TO ME. WITHIN MY OWN DEPARTMENT,
UNFORTUNATELY, WEVE HAD TWO
SUICIDES, TEN YEARS APART.
WE HAVE 270 MEMBERS.
WERE NOT TALKING ABOUT A VERY
BIG POOL.
BIG POOL. SO, THE ISSUE IS VERY REAL, IN
STAMFORD AND EVERYWHERE ELSE.
ITS NICE.
ITS NICE.
AND THANK YOU FOR DOING THE
STORY, DAVID, AND YOURSELF, YOU KNOW, FOR GETTING THE MESSAGEOU
KNOW, FOR GETTING THE MESSAGE OUT.
OUT.
>> THE NUMBERS BACK HIM UP,
RIGHT?
THE STATS IN YOUR PIECE, DAVID,
WHICH WERE BEAUTIFUL, WERE STAGGERING.BEAUTIFUL, WERE
STAGGERING. 95% ADMIT TO HAVING CRITICAL
STRESS ON THE JOB.
77%, UNRESOLVED EMOTIONAL
ISSUES.
ISSUES. 71%, TROUBLE SLEEPING.
61%, ARE HAUNTED BY MEMORIES OF
BAD CALLS.
BAD CALLS. OUR FIRST RESPONDERS, WE THINK,
THEYRE TOUGH AND THEYLL
NEVER -- WHY WOULD WE THINK
THAT?
THAT?
THEYRE TOUGH AND THEY HAVE EMOTIONAL ISSUES LIKE ANY HUMAN
BEING WOULD.
BEING WOULD.
>> EXACTLY, MEGYN.
THEY SEE AWFUL THINGS.
WE CALL THEM, THEY COME RUNNING.
WE NEVER THINK ABOUT HOW THAT REMAINS WITH THEM.UT HOW THAT
REMAINS WITH THEM.
IN ADDITION TO ALL OF LIFES OTHER CHALLENGES.L OF LIFES
OTHER CHALLENGES. FIRST IN THE BAY AREA WITH OUR
NBC STATION, AND US WITH THE
PARTNERSHIP OF THE INTERNATIONAL
STATION OF FIREFIGHTERS, WE
WANTED TO TAKE A TEMPERATURE
CHECK.
CHECK.
7,000 RESPONSES ACROSS AMERICA.
YOU PAINTED THE NUMBERS THERE, AND JACQUES HELPED US PUT A FACE
ON THE PAIN AND FRUSTRATION.
AND THE YEARNING FOR PEOPLE TO
KNOW.
KNOW.
>> FOR ME, ITS COURAGEOUS ONCE
AGAIN.
THERE YOU GO AGAIN. HELPING YOUR FELLOW HUMAN BEINGS
JUST BY SPEAKING OUT ABOUT IT.