FLEMING ISLAND, Fla. – The Clay County Firefighters Union has a new member.
A second therapy dog has joined the team to provide additional mental health support for firefighters, especially after they respond to extremely difficult calls.
Smiles is the newest member of the Clay County Professional Firefighters Union Local 3362 and has only been on the job for a few weeks.
Union president Jacen Hernandez said Smiles is a huge asset given the volume of calls firefighters receive.
“In this county alone, we've seen a doubling of calls with the influx of people who've moved in,” Hernandez said. “When you double the calls, you get more calls that are more serious. We've seen a dramatic increase in calls even in rural areas. In my own fire department, two fire engines responded to about 22 calls the other day. Firefighters from the Fleming Island fire department responded to 11 calls just before noon about two weeks ago.”
Smiles, the newest therapy dog to help Clay County firefighters (Copyright 2024 by WJXT News4JAX – All Rights Reserved)
Smiles joins another dog, Charles, who has been on the peer support team for just over a year.
They can spend time with Clay County firefighters when needed after responding to some of the most traumatic scenes and situations.
“Therapy dogs have been proven through research and other departments across the country to make a huge difference in calls during debriefings,” Hernandez said. “That was a game changer.”
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Firefighter Richard Marino said he received that kind of support from Charles. Marino recalled one call where he helped a mother give birth at 25 weeks pregnant in a shed. The baby went into cardiac arrest and died.
“My daughter was born a month later, so it was a pretty traumatic experience,” Marino said.
He added that his mental state improved afterwards with Charles being there.
“(He) was with everyone at the station, trying to keep everybody's morale up,” Marino said. “We were so happy. We just cuddled up to each other and waited for this cute dog to come and see us and give us kisses and run around the station and keep morale up. We get multiple calls throughout the day. Sometimes there are calls from multiple stations that Charles has to respond to. Unfortunately, he's just one. He can't be split up. It's very beneficial to have multiple therapy dogs responding to the station.”
Firefighter Richard Marino with his therapy dog Charles. (Copyright 2024 by WJXT News4JAX – All Rights Reserved)
Clay County Fire-Rescue Battalion Chief Billy Futch said there is a focus in Clay County on monitoring the mental health of firefighters.
He believes these dogs can boost the mental strength of people who have seen the unimaginable.
“I always tell people, we all have a cup, but we don't know how big it is until it overflows,” Fuch said. “I don't want to wait until that person has a cup and it overflows. I want to catch it before it's full.”
Clay County has 13 fire departments and currently has just under 300 firefighters in the county.
They all have resources to help them deal with the stresses of the job, including visits with therapy dogs, annual mental health evaluations and check-ins and monthly station visits by the command counseling center.
The center is a mental health provider.
“The suicides in Florida affect all firefighters,” said Marie Guma with the counseling center, “because they either knew a firefighter, were close friends with one or worked with one. I think that in itself helps break down the stigma and the culture. We want to make sure they know they're not alone and break down the stigma and encourage them to seek services.”
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JP, a well-trained poodle, is also a therapy dog for Clay County, but he works for the sheriff's office. He's been there since March 2021 and has access to about 800 employees.
JP, a therapy dog for the Clay County Sheriff's Office. (Copyright 2024 by WJXT News4JAX – All Rights Reserved)
Deputy Abegail Harris, public information officer for the Clay County Sheriff's Office, said JP's presence provides a sense of security.
“Just reaching out and touching JP releases positive endorphins,” Harris says. “Sometimes, in my opinion, just focusing on JP changes the way you feel.”
These police dogs fill a much needed role for emergency responders.
“(Dogs) love to be loved,” Futch said, “and I don't think they realize at all how much love they bring us and how much they help us emotionally.”
The therapy dogs were provided to Clay County firefighters by K9s for Warriors.
Copyright 2024 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.
