Chris Tompkins: The Other Side of the EmergencyChris Tompkins: The Other Side of the Emergency
Struggle Well Podcast
Chris Tompkins talks about his years as a firefighter and paramedic, the weight of traumatic calls, and the shame he felt around his mental health diagnoses. He shares how peer support and a Struggle Well course helped him speak openly, support others, and work towards being healthy on the other side of the emergency.
1:09:49•28 Oct 2026
Answering the Call: Chris Tompkins on Trauma, PTSD and Growing Through Struggle
Episode Overview
- Long careers in firefighting can accumulate trauma, making open conversation and support essential rather than a sign of weakness.
- Mental health labels such as PTSD, depression, and bipolar can feel frightening, but sharing them often reveals others with similar experiences.
- Peer support and culturally competent therapists are crucial, and having a trusted professional lined up before crisis can make a huge difference.
- Programmes like Struggle Well at Boulder Crest offer practical tools and safe spaces to share stories many people thought they would never tell.
- Answering the call means more than responding on duty; it includes picking up the phone, following up, and being consistently present for others and yourself.
“You can do this job and be healthy in it. People can actually grow as a result of their struggle.”
What drives someone to seek a life that’s more than just surviving one emergency after another? This episode of the Struggle Well Podcast follows Chris Tompkins, a firefighter, paramedic, peer supporter, and Struggle Well guide with nearly three decades in the fire service, as he talks about being on both sides of the emergency.
You’ll hear how childhood fascination with his uncle’s volunteer firefighting days grew into a long career marked by camaraderie, gruelling call volumes, and some harrowing scenes that stuck with him. Chris shares early trauma from his very first fatal fire, the years of accumulating difficult calls, and the moment his personal life and work stress collided, leaving him suicidal and finally reaching for help.
He explains the shame he felt around diagnoses like depression, PTSD, and bipolar, and how he hid his struggles while urging others to speak up. A turning point came when he accidentally revealed his PTSD on live TV, forcing him to choose between retreating or becoming an advocate. He chose advocacy, and was surprised by how many tough, respected colleagues quietly shared similar diagnoses. A major thread here is peer support and culturally competent mental health care.
Chris talks about counselling that didn’t fit, the importance of finding the right professional, and how peer support can bridge the gap when services are hard to access. His trip to a Struggle Well course at Boulder Crest became a personal reset, where he finally shared stories he thought he’d take to his grave and learned practical tools he now uses with his crew and at home with his wife.
The episode speaks directly to first responders, their families, and anyone living with long-term stress or trauma, showing that "you can do this job and be healthy in it" and that growth is possible after hardship. If you or someone you care about has been carrying heavy experiences for years, what would it mean to let some of those rocks out of your rucksack?
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