“I didn’t know how to handle the emotions I was feeling and I couldn’t express them. I still struggle with it to this day.”

For Lieutenant Jay Compson, the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Center of Excellence finally gave him the skills to handle the emotions stirred up by a career full of difficult calls and post-traumatic stress.

Lt. Compson drew a comparison between post-traumatic stress and a backpack full of stones. Every firefighter begins their career with an empty backpack. By the end of their career, the backpack is full of rocks, each tied to a painful memory or a difficult call.

They can’t ever take this backpack off. When their shift is over they carry it home. Most choose not to talk about it to avoid burdening their family and friends.

We (the general public) would struggle to wrap our minds around the emergencies that firefighters respond to. Yet, when we call 9-1-1 in our very worst moments, we expect nothing short of perfection. Anything less may cost us our home or our life.

Although our expectations may be a little too high, Lt. Compson says we can expect firefighters to give us their best every time they respond to our call for help.

“We’re not doing this job in fear. We are not worried to respond to your emergency. If you call, we will be there and we will do our job with excellence.”

It’s clear that Jay loves his job and his induction into the Ohio Fire Service Hall of Fame illustrates his dedication to the profession.

“We get to do amazing things! From delivering babies, to saving lives, to providing first care to someone in a traumatic accident,” Jay raved about his career. However, he wants to remind his peers and the general public that, “the truth of the matter is: we are human and we struggle with the emotions of the job.”

Some calls firefighters respond to leave indelible, invisible scars.

Jay went on a pinnacle call several years ago that, unbeknownst to him, created post-traumatic stress. It wasn’t until later that he realized the other two firefighters he was on the call with were struggling as well.

“We thought ‘I’m a man, I should be able to handle this. This is easy.’ But the reality of it is: we’re human and we’re all built in a way to feel those emotions – we just didn’t know how.”

Jay’s wife and three daughters noticed a change in him. His wife asked what was wrong, and he told her about the call that disturbed him. After telling her the details, she looked as if she’d seen a ghost. Jay then went to a local counselor for help. He found himself retelling the story once again and when he looked up, the counselor’s jaw was on the table.

He realized that what was bothering him was now traumatizing those around him. It was clear that Jay needed specialized help. Thanks to a recommendation from a fellow firefighter, he made the decision to visit the IAFF Center of Excellence – or as he refers to it, Brain Camp.

He brought everyone from his shift to the picnic table at the fire station and told them about his decision to go to Brain Camp. This was a very difficult step for Jay and his crew. After some quiet grieving, they spoke up. Each of them were dealing with similar struggles.

It takes courage to go to the people around you and ‘rip your chest open’ to show your dark scars from the job… But when everyone else opens up, you realize they have the same wounds. “For some reason, we just don’t want to talk about it. It’s really hard.”

Jay’s message to other firefighters is critical:

“We cannot tolerate firefighters not having the courage to ask: How are you doing? Is everything okay? … The potential for not asking is suicide.”

Thirty seconds and a bit of courage is all it may take to save a firefighter who is struggling.

Jay shared with us one of his proudest accomplishments, immortalized by a certificate that he cherishes. This story highlights Jay’s passion for the job and his willingness to do whatever it takes to serve his patients.

The call came in: a person is down and possibly unconscious. The Westerville Division of Fire responded immediately, racing to the scene to provide first aid.

Upon arrival, the patient was nowhere to be found. Police officers had arrived on-scene as well and the search began. Jay peered around the back of the building to the “Charlie” side.

He made eye contact with the patient who immediately took off on a full sprint. Without missing a beat, Jay followed in hot pursuit. Another firefighter rounded the “Delta” side of the building at full speed before tripping and tumbling directly into Jay’s path to the patient-turned-perpetrator. 

For a moment, Jay thought to himself, “What the hell am I doing, chasing this guy down?” But he didn’t have time to waste as the fugitive was getting away.

Jay lept over his colleague and tackled the runaway patient to the ground. Jay held him in place until the police arrived to slap on the handcuffs. 

Once the police managed to subdue the fugitive (it turns out he was a convicted felon), Jay proceeded to take the his vitals and make sure he was alright.

Jay’s heroic open-field tackle and split-second reactions earned him the only known certificate of Foot Pursuit to Tackle a Patient in order to Take Blood Pressure, a prestigious honor bestowed upon him by his comedic coworker.