Jake Windell is an LA county firefighter who has a therapy dog, named Echo, who he brought into his fire station to help make a difference in the ongoing mental health crisis of the fire world. Firefighters are often seen as a tough group, where it can be sometimes hard to break down emotional walls. They risk their lives daily to save others and 1-in-5 firefighters actually suffer from post-traumatic stress or cumulative stress injuries (and even that is underreported, as it’s still not common to report this type of injury). However, through the Peer Support Team that Jake is involved with, they are trying to make actionable changes to address mental health. One of the successful efforts so far has been with Echo, where having a dog around provides comfort to the firefighters and allows them to feel more comfortable to talk about how they may be handling emotional distress. (Lindsay Bird, one of our West Coast Correspondents from Deity Animal Rescue, takes on hosting duties for this conversation) - SOCIAL MEDIA - Website - https://www.dogsavethepeople.com - Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/dogsavethepeople - Twitter - https://twitter.com/dogsavetheppl - Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/dogsavethepeople - FEATURED LINKS - Echo The Fire Dog on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/echothefiredog - Patriotic Service Dog Foundation website - https://www.patrioticservicedogfoundation.org - Patriotic Service Dog Foundation on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/22tozerodogs - Patriotic Service Dog Foundation on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/patrioticservicedogfoundation