SAM 020 | Interview with Fire Chief Patrick Kenny

On this episode I interview Fire Chief Patrick Kenny from the Village of Western Springs, Illinois Fire Department. Chief Kenny talks candidly about losing his son, Sean, to suicide – and the importance of mental health for first responders. I first heard Chief Kenny’s message when he delivered his program at the VCOS Symposium in Clearwater Beach. Today, we were both presenters at the FASNY Convention on Albany, New York. After our programs we sat down and talked about his Mayday for Mental Health program. During the interview Chief Kenny shares: 1.How he lost his son, Sean, to suicide. 2.How he developed a program to share the message of mental health for first responders. 3.The powerful feedback he has received on his impassioned message. 4.How important it is for this topic to be discussed in fire departments. 5.How he almost lost a member of his department to suicide and how he was saved. 6.How our culture needs to change to take the stigma out of mental health. To learn more about firefighter suicide prevention, please visit:   Firefighter Suicide Prevention http://firefightersuicide.spcollege.edu   Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance http://www.ffbha.org   Suicide: A guide for fire chiefs http://flsi13.everyonegoeshome.com/SuicideGuide_Chiefs.pdf   Suicide in fire and emergency services http://www.ncafc.com/files/ff_suicide_report.pdf   Contact information for Chief Kenny: Chief Patrick J Kenny Director of Fire and EMS Village of Western Springs
 740 Hillgrove Western Springs, IL  60558 708.246.1800 Ext. 171 [email protected].   Situational Awareness Matters! website www.SAMatters.com   On-Line Academy http://www.samatters.com/situational-awareness-matters-academy/   Upcoming Events Schedule http://www.samatters.com/programs-keynote/eventschedule/   Books and Videos (Store) http://www.samatters.com/store/   Firefighter Near Miss Reporting System http://www.firefighternearmiss.com/   Close Call Survivor Website www.CloseCallSurvivor.com   Contact Rich Gasaway www.RichGasaway.com [email protected] 612-548-4424