Pasco firefighters to receive added benefits, mental health services

PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — Firefighters will have a change in schedule soon. It’s thanks to a new three-year contract signed by Pasco County Commissioners. 

Firefighters will work what’s called a ’24/72-hour shift,’ meaning they will work for 24 hours and then have 72 hours off. Officials say firefighters will also be given competitive wages. The goal is to maintain staffing throughout the county.

“It’s a very big change,” says Ryan Guynn, Assistant Fire Chief for Pasco County Fire Rescue. “What it’s going to do is give our men and women extra time when they’re home now to decompress. They’ll be able to decompress mentally, physically, and emotionally. They’re going to spend a little more time with their families, they’re going to be able to recuperate, and they’re going to be able to come back to work and give 110% for another 24 hours for the citizens of the county.”

There are other initiatives to go along with it. Additional mental health resources will become available for firefighters, including a 24-7 mental health hotline firefighters can reach out to for help.

It’s a duty that can build a lot of pressure.

“My dad, my great uncle, my uncle, and now I’ve got my little cousin, my nephew, and two brothers. All of them are in the fire service,” said Capt. Scott Combs.

For Combs, being a firefighter is more than a profession. It’s a family affair.

His family is both at home and at work — at Station 37, where some help will soon be on the way in the form of shift changes and mental health resources thanks to a recent contract with the county.

“Anything to help our brothers and sisters, like the chief was saying,” said Combs. “The D-shift is going to now give us that extra day, off which is great for our mental health and, obviously, our cardiovascular as well.” 

Combs has been a firefighter for 12 years. He says it’s a job that, at times, can be draining on all fronts.

“Physically, mentally, emotionally; it has all of it. But how you decompress with that and how you manage it, it means a lot,” Combs said.

As a licensed paramedic, that stress can be a little heavier at times. He runs thru his check-list of items he needs on a day-to-day basis.

“We have our cardiac monitor, we have our airway bags, our medication bags,” he said. But yeah, we hold basically everything within these bags. We can do just about anything from defibrillation to IVs to giving medications for advanced life support.”

With changes on the way, Combs hopes they’ll be able to do even more, having the opportunity to compete for new hires with surrounding departments while maintaining their own staff.

“I’d like to see the growth of the department,” said Combs. “I’d like to see it get more and more, obviously. More stations, more rescues just so we can properly help the community.”

While also getting the help and support they need themselves.