9/11 firefighter cautions adjusters on signs of post-traumatic stress

Adjusters are not immune to strong emotional reactions following a traumatic event that can interfere with their life, delegates of the 42nd annual Canadian Insurance Claims Managers’ Association/Canadian Independent Adjusters’ Association Joint Conference (CICMA/CIAA) in Toronto.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can set in acutely or have delayed onset, according to Robert Senn, a retired firefighter with the New York Fire Department who was at the World Trade Centre complex when the towers collapsed on Sept. 11, 2001.
Senn was the keynote speaker at CICMA/CIAA on Feb. 3. He experienced first-hand the impact of PTSD after nearly losing his own life and witnessing the deaths of many others after two hijacked commercial planes struck and devastated the Twin Towers.
Senn’s speech contained a number of vivid, visceral memories, such as when a person jumping 1,000 feet from the top of the tower landed on one of the firefighters on the ground, the force of which cut the firefighter’s body into half.
Senn said he still suffers from “hyper-vigilance.” For example, he said he has no intention of going to the top of the CN Tower while he was in Toronto, and he said he still ducks when he hears a plane flying overhead, checking to make sure the plane keeps flying past him.
PTSD is not limited to firefighters, he noted, pointing out that nobody calls adjusters to share good news — adjusters only receive calls when something bad has happened. Most adjusters in the room noted they had been present during a fatality.
“The bad things that happen in our lives are supposed to change us,” Senn said, but it’s how we handle that change that matters.
There are physical symptoms that set in after a traumatic event, such as fatigue, twitches, nausea, headaches; cognitive symptoms, such as confusion, poor attention, memory problems, hyper-vigilance; emotional symptoms, such as anxiety, guilt, grief, denial; behavioural symptoms, such as withdrawal, emotional outbursts, alcohol consumption, inability to rest; and spiritual symptoms, such as anger at God, sudden turn toward God, believing God does not care and belief that God is powerless.
We are only human, Senn notes, and these reactions are normal.
He recommends that if one is experiencing symptoms of PTSD, ask for help and communicate with loved ones. Awareness is key, he notes, adding that if you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t take care of your family or do your job.
“Please take care of yourselves, please take care of each other and please make a difference,” he concluded.