Pushing Through for our First Responders
As Published in the East Falls Now, Chestnut Hill Local, and Roxborough Review.
Rep. Tarik Khan May 31, 2024 | 10:18 AM
I’ll never forget the faces of the first responders I met during the earliest days of the pandemic.
Those police, firefighter, and EMS workers pulled up in their emergency vehicles in the Citizens Bank Park lot for COVID-19 testing.
As they rolled down their windows for me to gently swab their noses, I saw workers with running noses and bloodshot eyes.
Most of the first responders I swabbed tested positive. Despite whatever personal fears they may have had in those early days— over 1.1 million Americans ended up dying following their COVID exposures—the look of determination and resolve in their eyes made it clear they wanted to do one thing.
Push through and get back to their jobs serving the public.
As they did during the pandemic, our police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical service professionals spend their days selflessly responding to traumas.
They sign up knowing the risk to their bodies and their lives.
But often it’s the trauma to their mental health that often proves the greatest challenge.
First responders witness scenes of severe injury and death in the course of their work weeks. And some may witness and experience trauma multiple times a day.
It is estimated that as many as 1 in 3 police officers, firefighters, and EMS personnel will experience post-traumatic stress injury (PTSI). Persons with PTSI have a 50% chance of developing major depression and are six times more likely to attempt suicide.
While first responders are covered by workman’s comp if they are physically injured, PTSI is not routinely covered by Pennsylvania law. Our commonwealth’s outdated workman’s comp law requires an “abnormal working condition” like a natural disaster for PTSI benefits to kick in.
So, barring an event like an earthquake, tornado, or a biblical flood, when it comes to work-related PTSI, first responders must stand on their own.
That means pushing through.
Sometimes, that means self-medicating.
All too often, it means tragedy.
Sadly, police officers and firefighters are more likely to die of suicide than in the line of duty.
Representative Jen O’Mara, myself, and a bipartisan team of legislators want to change that.
We teamed up to introduce HB 1632. Our bill would fix PA’s outdated worker’s comp law to add work-related PTSI protections for first responders.
Rep. O’Mara is the daughter of Joseph O’Mara, a longtime Philadelphia firefighter who ended his life by suicide on February 2, 2003, after suffering PTSI on the job. We were also joined by legislators, including Rep. Tim Brennan (who is also a certified workman’s comp specialist), Rep. Greg Scott (a volunteer EMT/firefighter), and Rep. Jim Rigby (a former police officer).
As a nurse with nearly two decades of experience, I know what it’s like to get hurt on the job. My training and experience teaches me that all workers need two things to recover following an injury—support and time. Whether that injury is physical or mental.
Although HB 1632 bill was opposed by some groups over cost concerns, my coprime sponsors and I were steadfast in our advocacy.
We questioned the scope of cost estimates. Did estimates consider avoiding the financial costs of untreated PTSI (absenteeism, physical and behavioral health issues)? What was the estimate of recruitment and training costs from first responders prematurely leaving the workforce from burnout?
And what was estimate of the value of saving a first responder’s life?
HB 1632 will undoubtedly save lives.
PTSI is treatable with therapy, medication and time. Our bill gives the workers that support.
Throughout the legislative process, we reminded stakeholders and fellow elected officials that saying that you “stand with first responders” rings hollow of you ignore their requests for help.
We were steadfast in working to pass this bill, and even added a legislative amendment to mitigate concerns.
And for first responders who spend their days pushing through, this time it was our turn as legislators to push this through.
On May 8th, 2024 our bipartisan bill passed the PA House 154-46.
I’m proud of my fellow coprime sponsors, and look forward to more fights to get first responders the benefits they deserve.
But our work getting first responders support for PTSI is not done, as this bill must pass the PA Senate.
If you believe first responders should qualify for worker’s comp benefits for PTSI , please call PA Senate Pro Tempore Kim Ward (R-Westmoreland County) at (717)787-6063 or email her at kward@pasen.gov and ask her to bring HB 1632 up for a vote in the Senate.
Because standing with first responders should be more than a slogan.