30th year volunteer fire, small town. I know/knew the people I’ve tried to help. Lost a ‘brother’ a year ago when he suffered an episode on the drive home after a call. Met his parents yesterday. I’m pi$&-drunk right now, and my life is garbage.

Thank you for sharing this video. This issue should be part of the education of the public.

At least these nurses are compensated well……. Enjoying vacations all the time

Worst call I got a run vech vs motorcycle . When we removed operators helmet . I saw it was my brother in law. He passed 2 blocks from ER. I walked away after that day.

Bro operated the worst outbreak in history, with half the state without power or radio, and he still thinks he could have done better. What a fucking legend.

This is much needed. Thank you.

The #1 reason people died I found talking with survivors during SAR ops. They literally believed they would be safe in the bathtub or closet. Then the other half just stood on the porch or at the front door while it was baring down. - With these strong violent tornadoes it’s Russian roulette. I remember telling my chase partners who are also first responders . “The news is selling it as all people need to do is get in the closet or bathtub with a helmet and they will be fine”. - when we were finding bathtubs wrapped around trees and stuck in the ground. The majority of fatalities I seen were from 2x4s, square tubing, sheet metal, storm gutters, road signs stuck in the head/neck/chest. -- a large majority of survivors I ran across they told me “I have 2-3 friends with a cellar and my gut instinct was to go over and get in with them. But I said well I’ll get in the closet.. BOY..LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING, ILL NEVER BE DOIN THAT AGAIN!”. Most people didn’t truly appreciate it. -- I will say I expect 20-30 fatalities per EF4/5 tornado. The only death toll that was above normal was the Hackelburg/Phil cam EF5: 71 killed. The rest had 18-30 per tornado which is normal. Joplin was the one that was alarming and abnormal.

Don’t hold in your feelings, and don’t stay in the field longer than 7 yrs

What makes me angry is how our culture handles everything. Like undertakers, they end up weird as hell, it used to be something men had to do a few times in a life, same as firefighting, saving lives etc, instead we put too much on too few, we have to change, same as being police, soldiers etc.

James Spann still blames himself for all those deaths and you can tell it weighs hard on him

I have seen a few of these James Spann talks, and know of his distain for the siren mentality, how he calls it WW1 technology, so lets morph that technology into todays tech. If your cell phone is in the polygon, have your cell phone blare the siren before it gives you the tornado warning. Just a thought.

Been there done that.

Any confined space vids?

I wish James Spann would get off his own back about the 252 fatalities. He is not responsible. It is NOT his fault.

James Spann will revolutionize the science of weather one day

God Bless You! Your Not Alone🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹

😪💔🙏💜💛💙

It takes a special person. God calls those that he wants because he knows who can handle it and who cant

This video was made 4 years ago. It’s so much worse now.🙏🏻🇺🇸

PTSD is the normal reaction of the human brain to an abnormal situation. Suffering from PTSD doesn't mean you're nuts, it means you're human.

After 14 years, I hit my breaking point. I teach now. I miss the job more than words, but the stress got to the point that I would bring it home and take it out on my family. I think the biggest issue is that we aren't taught to be prepared for what this stuff really does to us. For me, it was a 12 year old that hung himself in the closet. I was working ER and we could visibly see the vertebrae fx in the neck, but our doc continued to work him up. Nurses around me were crying, and I was just so burned that I told them to shut up and do their job. I had lost my empathy and my humanity, and I knew I needed to step back. Yet, it doesn't take the pain away. Late at night, or while listening to music and a certain song pops on, or like the medic said in this video, sometimes it just a certain smell, driving by a certain place in town and images flash. To my brothers and sisters, be strong, we need you! You are so important to this world. What you do has the ultimate meaning. If you break, break, and it's ok, but please find someone you trust if you ever feel like hurting yourself.

I hope you save the younger crowd.

I try to focus on the people I have saved. I focus on that even in the many cases where we didn't save them, we still were able to help give the family closure with a body they could bury. Remember you don't need to fight alone. The call that got me was my fourth fatality, where I had gotten on scene and to the patient just as they said their last words and died before we could do anything. I still can remember the sounds they made as they took in their last breath. I still can remember the smell of burnt oil and gasoline. I can still feel the hot sun. It is pain I can't leave behind, but like I tell all the new guys who have entered my department, we need to do better and reach out to each other, talk to each other, never bottle it up, and focus on the positive, make moves towards pushing forward with life versus dwelling on what you did wrong.

This is why I had to get off. I was almost a statistic.

A true Godsend to society!

My call that got me was a 5 year old little girl was crushed by a 1500 lbs swang set while performing CPR on her she passed away in my arms in the ambulance this mad me feel like I failed her her family and my station I wonder if I could've saved her

Its the one thing they don't train you for.

awesome demonstration

Good job James. Skywarn Orange Co FL.

Another horrendous scene that first responders have to respond to are suicides both police and fire including EMS.The fire department I belong to responded to a real unpleasent suicide where a teenage girl hanged herself

Took me to this point to realize I can’t continue. .. 33 years as a ff/medic these are what I have dealt with. I have sought help but it’s been difficult ! Moving forward I was feeling betrayed by all my officers 1 for not listening to me 2 no seeing obvious signs , my wife even told them 2015 something was wrong , she’s also a medic. Nothing got done till I crashed & hit my point of do I loose it all ! Family, income , time in the system or get help before another bad choice gets made. Drinking won’t fix it !! So I also lost a friend / partner to suicide & I never forget cause it’s my daughters B Day. I forgave him , he was a good man , my wife’s regular partner .. so hear this we all need each other. Where I’m going now for help , we say you matter & you count ! Reach out we can’t take anymore loses ! Great people doing a kid few can ! Thanks.

Thank you for being willing to share your stories, relive those bad calls, and just opening up. I needed to see this video.

The feeling of a patient's death being your fault really does effect your life. I'm trying to get help myself. My Department's council didn't care about PTSD and wanted me to suck it up. So I had to leave. (And a few other reasons.)

Thanks for posting the James Spann video. He seems like a nice guy and definitely an expert meteorologist. Climate change is happening; whether it's manmade or natural, the earth IS warmer via meticulous temp data from dozens of agencies around the world.~ 41:15 "Stop, get off the grid and help somebody." - Great advice.

I love this video over a year ago I was working a crazy something like 60 hours straight I wanted to soak up as much overtime as I could as fast as I could and with 11.5 hours left I had a 1 month old cardiac arrest as an emt and my paramedic and I respond and unfortunately the child was DOA and for the longest time the call hurt.. I’m just now recovering

This is such a great video! It's so important to spread awareness about PTSD and find solutions for our first responders!

This.... I wasn't strong enough. I had to get out.

I want to send my deepest gratitude 🙏 and prayers to all first responders and medical personnel who deal with these tragedies DAILY, im a resident of northwest Alabama and my sister is a RN and I’m am very thankful the fire college put this video out , GOD BLESS

Oh, you precious people, I feel for you! God be with you.Love D. Leone, R.N. NewYork City

James Spann has a big heart.

Average Lead Time= 13 minutes Average deaths per tornado= 4 people :(

💛🦅

This.... This is one of the many reasons why I am working on helping First Responders and Military Veterans and want to become a psychologist for them... I can't sit back and see people who have done so much and than suffer so much and not at least try to help.. Thank you all for everything that you do and have done even though this phrase doesn't do much

Even though I know chances of me seeing things like this in the EMS field are really high, I still want to become a paramedic. Also, thank you to all the first responders and all the things you guys do for people that need you!

I too burned out. Went on an ATV accident call it just short circuited me. 14 years as a paramedic you help others but do we get help after seeing all that death and Carnage for years on end. EMS chose me. Now I'm suffering for it. But I don't regret doing it. I helped a lot of people.

I love what y’all are doing! Thank you for starting this conversation.

Great video. I shared with my vol. department

THANK YOU!

So informative! So glad there is such an amazing resource in the state that is dedicated to training and educating the men and women dedicated to public service.

So well done! Can't wait for more!!