Firefighters are tough. Walking into burning buildings and putting out the flames take a great deal of both physical and mental resolve. Spending months and years of their lives training so that. when the call comes, they are ready to jump into action and save lives, firefighters sometimes seem invincible to the public-and maybe even to themselves…

The fire is out. The engines are hosed down, equipment is cleaned and put away, and the firefighters are sitting around the table relaxing after a particularly difficult incident. What happens next? Typically, there is a technical debriefing that focuses on what occurred, how it happened, and what could have been done differently to improve the end result. Feelings are checked at the door of this debriefing, and the tone is businesslike and focused…

Jim was tired after a long day at the station house. One more hour to go and he would be on his way home. Just then, the alarm rang, and off he went to one of the more horrific fires of his career. Many hours later, as he was showering down before leaving the station house, thoughts of his wife and family crossed his mind…