My name is Hugh Bruder I am a Retired Battalion Chief for Miami-Dade Fire Rescue in Miami Florida and a 35 year fire service veteran. I started my Fire Service career as a United States Air Force Firefighter during the post-Vietnam War Era. I have been witness to the effects a long career in the Fire Service can have on a Firefighter. Sleep deprivation, poor diet, long term exposure to toxins encountered while fighting fires, high divorce rates, higher than average drug and alcohol addiction, and suicide rates that have grown to alarming numbers. One of the key factors involving the increase in Firefighter suicide can be linked to emotions caused by the immense loss of life that Firefighters deal with. Firefighters typically see more death and traumatic injuries in one year than most see in a lifetime. Firefighters see lives change in a split second, which can rock the foundation of any human being. If all that isn’t enough, there are new statistics out showing that as a result of the effects of a long fire service career, the average post retirement death rate for a firefighter in the United States is 6 years, mostly attributed to cancer, heart disease and suicide.

Unfortunately I have seen the effects of Firefighter suicide firsthand, having recently lost one of my Lieutenants to suicide. The International Association of Firefighters have taken this epidemic very seriously and put in place recognition programs nationwide in an attempt to curb the alarming growth of this insidious killer. Having personally experienced mild anxiety and sleep disorder throughout my career, I have had excellent results using this technology myself. Seeing the work Barry Bruder and IASIS Technologies Corporation have been doing with IASIS Neurofeedback and it’s potential to help Firefighters and their families, I have chosen to join his team.