0:00:08 > 0:00:11NEWS REPORT: '120 firefighters are at the scene at the moment...
0:00:11 > 0:00:13'The Fire Brigade says the blaze...'
0:00:13 > 0:00:15Every 30 seconds in the UK,
0:00:15 > 0:00:18firefighters are called to an incident,
0:00:18 > 0:00:21risking their lives for us.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23In the line of duty,
0:00:23 > 0:00:28no-one can doubt the courage and professionalism of the men and women
0:00:28 > 0:00:33in the Fire Service, often in the most dangerous of circumstances.
0:00:33 > 0:00:38Every day they're ready to answer our call when we need them the most.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41But when they need help, who can they turn to?
0:00:43 > 0:00:45Ever since she was a girl,
0:00:45 > 0:00:48Debbie Young dreamt of joining the Fire Service.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53I went on work experience when I was 14 to my local fire station
0:00:53 > 0:00:57and I just thought this was for me.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00Just five years later, Debbie was a firefighter.
0:01:00 > 0:01:04My family and friends came along to my pass-out parade
0:01:04 > 0:01:08and that was just the best day.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12In July 2010, Debbie was fighting a fire at a cafe.
0:01:12 > 0:01:16Out the corner of my eye, I noticed something was coming towards me,
0:01:16 > 0:01:20so instinctively I put my arm up to protect myself and a television came
0:01:20 > 0:01:23off the wall and landed on top of me. It was immediate pain
0:01:23 > 0:01:26in my shoulder and into my neck.
0:01:26 > 0:01:30Debbie had sustained a serious injury to her arm.
0:01:30 > 0:01:32It was weeks before she could return to work,
0:01:32 > 0:01:35but not as a fully operational firefighter.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38I was still experiencing quite a lot of pain in my shoulder.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41The doctors were saying that it would just get better
0:01:41 > 0:01:43and it obviously wasn't.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46I just didn't know what to do, where to go or who could help me.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49All I could see was I wasn't going to be a firefighter again.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51Debbie faced the prospect
0:01:51 > 0:01:55of having to give up everything she had worked so hard for.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58When firefighters like Debbie are injured
0:01:58 > 0:02:02they deserve the kind of care they so often provide for us.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05That's where the Fire Fighters Charity helps.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08For nearly 70 years, they have provided vital support
0:02:08 > 0:02:11for the fire and rescue community and their families.
0:02:13 > 0:02:18In 1995, firefighter Steve Jeffrey was involved in a traffic collision
0:02:18 > 0:02:19whist responding to an incident.
0:02:19 > 0:02:24Trapped in his vehicle, he suffered multiple broken bones.
0:02:24 > 0:02:29But after almost a year off work, he was able to return to his watch.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32Sadly, this wasn't the end of his ordeal.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34I just needed to get back to work,
0:02:34 > 0:02:37I had my responsibilities, I had children to look after. Maybe by
0:02:37 > 0:02:41getting back to work, getting back to normality, part of me could say,
0:02:41 > 0:02:44well, nothing really happened.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47Steve settled back into work. But 16 years later,
0:02:47 > 0:02:51whilst watching a news report about a fire crew,
0:02:51 > 0:02:54events of that night would come back to haunt him.
0:02:56 > 0:03:02I remember very vividly waking up with images of the crash
0:03:02 > 0:03:04I had been involved in.
0:03:04 > 0:03:09That image continued to reoccur, always the same -
0:03:09 > 0:03:13me trapped in a fire engine. I would be getting mood swings.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15I would become very short-tempered with people.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19These were worrying thoughts because I didn't know what they were.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22Unknown to Steve,
0:03:22 > 0:03:25he was suffering from Delayed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28It not only affected me,
0:03:28 > 0:03:34but it was having direct effects on my loved ones, family, close friends,
0:03:34 > 0:03:40work colleagues. They were black times, bad times...awful.
0:03:41 > 0:03:45Fortunately, there was a charity close at hand to help.
0:03:45 > 0:03:49The Fire Fighters Charity has three centres across the UK that offer
0:03:49 > 0:03:55a wide range of support programmes. They include physical rehabilitation
0:03:55 > 0:03:58and recuperation for both serving and retired members
0:03:58 > 0:04:01of the fire and rescue community.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07Andrew Waterfield is the Operations Manager at Jubilee House in Penrith,
0:04:07 > 0:04:10just one of the charity's rehabilitation centres.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13At Jubilee we have a mixture of physiotherapists,
0:04:13 > 0:04:19exercise therapists, nurses. We can look after up to 40 people a week
0:04:19 > 0:04:23and they stay for normally around two weeks and we can tailor
0:04:23 > 0:04:26their programme to their specific needs.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29Group work provides support and encouragement.
0:04:29 > 0:04:34They will be working with colleagues and they find that camaraderie
0:04:34 > 0:04:37really helps them in the rehab programme. And it can help them feel
0:04:37 > 0:04:39they're not alone, there are others experiencing
0:04:39 > 0:04:41what they're experiencing.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45Each year, the charity's centres help nearly 5,000 members
0:04:45 > 0:04:48of the fire and rescue community.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51Our beneficiaries will have different goals when they come here,
0:04:51 > 0:04:55for many it's important to get fit and well and back on the watch as
0:04:55 > 0:04:58soon as possible. Others have long-term conditions.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00Whatever their goals are, we're there to help them.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07The charity also provides a variety of support services, giving guidance
0:05:07 > 0:05:11and advice on a wide range of issues as well as having a nationwide
0:05:11 > 0:05:15network of professional staff and trained volunteers available to help
0:05:15 > 0:05:20locally, whenever and wherever they're needed.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24The charity gave hope to Debbie, assessing her injury and identifying
0:05:24 > 0:05:26the cause of her pain.
0:05:26 > 0:05:30To have them say it was definitely more than soft-tissue damage
0:05:30 > 0:05:34and I would need surgery, it was such a relief for me, that, for once
0:05:34 > 0:05:37someone was helping me. Somebody wanted me to get better.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41After a successful operation,
0:05:41 > 0:05:44Debbie returned to the charity for further treatment.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47I managed to do some work-related tests, I was back lifting ladders,
0:05:47 > 0:05:51dragging dummies around, all the things that I did as a firefighter
0:05:51 > 0:05:56in training and that was the first moment that I really realised
0:05:56 > 0:05:59I was going to get back to doing the job I love again.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02Last year, Debbie returned to her watch
0:06:02 > 0:06:05and resumed full operational duties.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09I wanted to be out there, I wanted to be helping people again
0:06:09 > 0:06:14and it was the Fire Fighters Charity that enabled me to do that.
0:06:15 > 0:06:19When Steve's condition became too much
0:06:19 > 0:06:21he turned to the Fire Fighters Charity.
0:06:22 > 0:06:29I was asked if I wanted to speak to one of the psychotherapists,
0:06:29 > 0:06:32a young lady by the name of Annie, and it was after having a couple of
0:06:32 > 0:06:37sessions with her that the underlying emotional disruptions
0:06:37 > 0:06:39in my life actually came to a head.
0:06:39 > 0:06:43The team identified Steve was suffering from
0:06:43 > 0:06:46Delayed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and advised him
0:06:46 > 0:06:48where he could seek help.
0:06:48 > 0:06:53I can't thank her enough, she has been absolutely amazing.
0:06:53 > 0:06:58Clearly what happened to me 16 years after that collision unlocked all
0:06:58 > 0:07:02the emotions I clearly hadn't dealt with.
0:07:02 > 0:07:07And if it hadn't been for Annie, then those emotions
0:07:07 > 0:07:11may well have just spiralled out of control.
0:07:11 > 0:07:15After such a distressing period of his life, Steve is back at work.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18Did I ever need the Fire Fighters Charity?
0:07:18 > 0:07:23I find it difficult to put into words. It's obviously a very
0:07:23 > 0:07:29long road to recovery, but I think I'm in a position, with the help
0:07:29 > 0:07:33of the charity, my own service, family, colleagues, I believe
0:07:33 > 0:07:36I'm in a position now where I can cope.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40Sometimes the scars of firefighting aren't just physical.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44Often the deepest problems are those you can't see.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46So this is where you can help.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49Your donation will help the Fire Fighters Charity
0:07:49 > 0:07:52provide an even greater range of services
0:07:52 > 0:07:55and vital psychological support.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58Please go to the website - bbc.co.uk/lifeline
0:07:58 > 0:08:01where you can make a donation.
0:08:01 > 0:08:07If you don't have access to the internet, then call 0800 011 011.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10And if you can't get through, please, please keep trying.
0:08:10 > 0:08:16You can also donate £10 by texting DONATE to 70121.
0:08:16 > 0:08:21Texts cost £10 plus your standard network message charge
0:08:21 > 0:08:24and the whole £10 goes to the Fire Fighters Charity.
0:08:24 > 0:08:29Full terms and conditions can be found at bbc.co.uk/lifeline.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32Telephone calls are free from most landlines.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36Some networks and mobile operators will charge for these calls.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40Or if you'd like to post a donation, please make your cheque payable to
0:08:40 > 0:08:42the Fire Fighters Charity and send it to -
0:08:42 > 0:08:45Freepost, BBC Lifeline Appeal,
0:08:45 > 0:08:49writing the Fire Fighters Charity on the back of the envelope.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53Remember, if you're a UK taxpayer, the charity can collect gift aid
0:08:53 > 0:08:58on your donation, worth another 25%. Just send in a note, to say you want
0:08:58 > 0:09:01your donation to be subject to gift aid,
0:09:01 > 0:09:05and include the date, your full name and address.
0:09:05 > 0:09:06Thank you.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd