By Kathleen Shannon - Producer, Contact - News
Big Sky Connection - A Montana bill to include treatment for PTSD under workers’ compensation for first responders is headed to the Governor’s desk after passing the House on Friday. Comments by George Richards, president, Montana State Firefighters’ Association and president, Montana State Council of Professional Firefighters.
Click on the image above for the audio. Around 85% of first responders in the United States report experiencing symptoms related to mental health. (Adobe Stock)
Kathleen Shannon
April 28, 2025 - A bill headed to the Montana governor's desk would qualify post-traumatic stress disorder under workers' compensation for the state's first responders.
PTSD is a mental-health condition that someone may develop after a traumatic event. It can result in a range of symptoms from a negative mood and reactivity to flashbacks and difficulty sleeping. First responders report experiencing PTSD at about five times the rate of the general population, according to Relief Mental Health.
George Richards, who serves as president of both the Montana State Firefighters' Association and the Montana State Council of Professional Firefighters, said suicide is one of the top two leading causes of death among firefighters.
"Firefighters, police officers, paramedics, EMTs, experience - working on a gunshot victim or a fatality wreck or a kid death - major trauma-critical calls that really affect the brain," he said.
Richards said the bill had bipartisan support, although some opponents were concerned with the costs. The bill passed a House vote Friday, just before today's observance of Workers Memorial Day.
Until now, Montana was one of roughly a dozen states without a PTSD-related workers comp policy for first responders. Richards said treatment for PTSD will also help with worker retention.
"We want it recognized so they can get the treatment and return to work as a healthy individual with a clear mind," he said.
Treatment can take different forms, Richards noted, from peer-to-peer support to residential treatment programs.
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