The Right Call: N.S. firefighter seeks treatment for PTSD, shares his journey with peers
After a decade of responding to emergency calls, trauma caught up with Kevin Purchase. Terrible memories started affecting the firefighter's relationships with family and friends.
"I just couldn't shake them anymore," says the 38-year-old who volunteers at the Hammonds Plains, N.S., station.
Purchase grew up in Halifax and says he knew he wanted to be a firefighter after watching the red trucks from the city's West Street station roar past his house.
But last summer, he took leave from the fire department and his day job, as his mental health worsened. The sound of helicopters would trigger his PTSD, reminding him of Life Flight calls.
"I didn't think I was going to come back," says Purchase.
The father of two girls says his coping mechanisms included withdrawing from those he loved and burying his pain with alcohol.
"I just kept running," he says.
But after hitting rock bottom last fall, Kevin's girlfriend Melissa, a military nurse and veteran of three tours of Afghanistan, convinced him to enroll in Project Trauma Support. It's a program for military personnel and first responders in Perth, Ontario.
Purchase says it changed his life, "If it wasn't for that I wouldn’t know what would be going on today."
Earlier this month, on a cool Sunday morning at Dartmouth's Bicentennial Junior High School, Purchase opened up about his mental health struggles in front of a room full of his baseball peers.
"I kinda hit a big low in life," he told a room full of men and women at a local umpiring clinic.
"He was one of the more senior guys when I came to Nova Scotia," says fellow official, Chis Roberts. "Learned a ton from umpiring over the years with Kev."
Purchase has been calling balls and strikes for 26 years.
"I think he's really brave," adds Roberts.
Purchase set his nerves aside, shared his stories and hit the mark. After the clinic, two other umpires reached out to share their own experiences with post traumatic stress disorder.
"And I was like, 'See. You're never alone," says Purchase, who's been back on the fire trucks for a few months.
Now, as another local baseball season approaches, Kevin has a new day job and fresh perspective on life.
"I wake up every morning with a smile on my face," he says, knowing he made the right call.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
AstraZeneca says it will withdraw COVID-19 vaccine globally as demand dips
AstraZeneca said on Tuesday it had initiated the worldwide withdrawal of its COVID-19 vaccine due to a 'surplus of available updated vaccines' since the pandemic.
Toronto police seek suspect vehicle after security guard shot outside Drake's mansion
Toronto police are seeking help from the public as they continue to investigate a shooting that seriously injured a security guard outside rapper Drake's mansion.
World's record-breaking hot temperature streak stretches through April
The world just experienced its hottest April on record, extending an 11-month streak in which every month set a temperature record, the European Union's climate change monitoring service said on Wednesday.
Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
Seafood, eat food: Calgary Stampede releases Midway menu
The Calgary Stampede has released its menu of sweet, salty and spicy treats available on the Midway for the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.
Boy Scouts of America is rebranding. Here's why they've changed their name
After more than a century, Boy Scouts of America is rebranding as Scouting America, another major shakeup for an organization that once proudly resisted change.
Ontario man devastated to learn $150,000 line of credit isn't insured after wife dies
An Ontario man found out that a line of credit he thought was insured actually isn't after his wife of 50 years died.