Feature
One Firefighter ’ s Battle Against PTSD
KCK ’ s Steve Pope fights PTSD with social media blitz , and big golf tourneys .
Words and photos by Alan Hoskins , Feature Writer
So he did something about it . First , he tackled his own problem . And then , even more significantly , he began reaching out to his fellow First Responders who were experiencing similar hardships . An undertaking that now reaches out to not only First Responders but countless others battling mental health .
But back to the start — a day on the golf course in 2017 . “ I was playing with a buddy , Ryan Johnson , a paramedic who had just gone through peer support training on what to look for in the area of stress ,” says Pope . “ I opened up to him on how I was blowing up , and he said , ‘ Steve , you don ’ t realize what your job has done to you in your 20 years .’
“ I had never thought I was stressed , but it had been building up . It might take just one call . Many people at the Hyatt disaster could never ever talk about it . Seeing a dead body , a car wreck , someone dying in a fire , and finding someone who had taken their own life can be life-changing . One of the biggest problems for firefighters is also sleep deprivation . It all builds up over time and affects themselves and their family life . If it were not for Ryan undergoing training … I was so lucky .”
What Pope also learned was that stress is not limited to First Responders . In fact , he doesn ’ t even have to leave his own home . His wife , Katie , teaches school , a field that is losing teachers at an alarming rate because of disciplinary problems and other forms of stress . “ There are days when she comes home just exhausted .”
Steve Pope , firefighter , avid golfer , and founder of the First Responders Golf Foundation .
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Kansas City , KS , firefighter for more than 20 years , Steve Pope found himself at a point in his life he didn ’ t like .
“ I ’ d just blown up at my four-year-old son . I didn ’ t like what I was becoming . I had been blowing up with my family for several years , and it was not good for me or my family . I knew I had changed , but I didn ’ t know why ,” said Pope , a 12-year fire captain , at age 52 .
Pope continued his therapy with doctors and therapists . Learning more and more about mental health , he decided he needed to do something about it — a whole lot , in fact .
Through social media — Facebook , Instagram , Twitter , YouTube — Pope began a social media blitz to alert First Responders to mental health awareness . “ With great trepidation , I decided to take the plunge because I knew there were other First Responders who were probably going through what I was , as well as preventing dying by suicide . Statistics I ’ ve seen show that 30 percent of First Responders have PTSD , but honestly , I think it ’ s higher . I think too many First Responders are afraid to admit that they have issues , and they may be vulnerable .”
One of those to respond to the media blitz was Andy Fisher , the head golf professional at Kansas City Country Club . “ He saw what I was doing , and we met for lunch ,” says Pope . “ He told me
16 August 2023 TEE TIMES GOLF GUIDE