I next to never find myself worrying.  Not to say I don’t get the occasional icky feeling when a phone call is cut short by tones dropping. I know how much my own firefighter trains and does continuing education courses, I’m sure most others do too.  We talk about training and fighting fire.  I usually don’t have a clue what he is talking about but he sounds confident enough that I am confident too.  He is safe.

I remember reading a comment on a post on the FirefighterWife Facebook Page from a women who said she had been married for 15 years and struggles to sleep when her husband is on shift.  Man, I can’t imagine what that is like and reading that has stuck with me.  I wonder what it is that has made her that way.  Had he had any close calls or Line of Duty Injuries?  Does she have a worrywart personality?  That is a really hard life, to constantly be worried and anxious.  Either way, I hope she’s found something to comfort her on shift nights.

The world of fire constantly changes and the way they do things evolve.  Fight smarter and not harder, right? I am pretty sure an occasional moment of uncertainty is completely rational but if you’re finding everyday life to be a struggle when your firefighter is on shift, it’s time to change that.

Talk to them.  Ask them all of the questions you wonder about.  Tell them to explain safety and training and how their goal is that everyone goes home after shift.

Put your mind at ease.

Firefighters, talk your spouses through your training.  You have the power to help ease some of this anxiety for those who struggle with knowing if you’re safe while on shift.  Let them know what the training is, how much safety you’re being taught and even invite them to a training if that is available. (I really enjoyed my experience watching from a distance.)  Sharing with your spouse the actions you take to make sure that you come home can really help them relax while you’re on duty