Changing My Worldview Through the SFFD

Jaeda Johnson ’26 is a Psychology major with a minor in Criminal Justice Studies at USF. As a McCarthy Fellow in San Francisco interning at the SFFD’s Behavioral Health Unit,  she has observed first-hand in San Francisco that while helping our communities, we must not forget to take care of ourselves. Read on to learn of Jaeda’s unique experience and the opportunities she has had over the past semester.

Upon becoming a student at USF I felt like the possibilities for public engagement were endless. In my last few years of high school, I felt like I was itching to just do something. Make a real impact, or at least know what making an impact even means. I joined the Martín Baró scholars cohort in 2022. From there I was introduced to USF Votes and the McCarthy Center. Through USF Votes I was able to meet Angie Vuong and get introduced to the Leo T. McCarthy Center and its various programs. I was drawn to the McCarthy fellows program due to its commitment to public service and ability to allow students to get directly involved in public sectors. This way I felt I would be able to contribute to making a meaningful difference. I would also be able to gain experience and understand how policy actually works. I remember applying for the SF Fellowship my freshman year and getting asked to apply for either my junior or senior year as the program was difficult.

“There is still a lot of stigma within the fire service when it comes to getting mental health support.”

Another reason is that I would have more experience by then. Here I am now, in my junior year emerging as a different person. With experience working at non-profit organizations and academic institutions. I strive to expose myself to a variety of work experiences and environments to diversify my own knowledge and perspective. Prior to my involvement with the McCarthy Fellows in SF program, I had started an internship with Dr. DeLeon Labs at the UCSF Neurology department. I have always been concerned about the accessibility of mental health resources and information. This is why I found my placement with the Behavioral Health Unit of the San Francisco Fire Department to be particularly fitting for two key reasons. The first is my passion for the dissemination of mental health resources and information to those who need them. First responders are a key demographic in need of more mental wellness support. The second reason was the unfamiliarity I initially had with the department and the fire service. This placement has fundamentally changed my worldview for the better. It has opened my eyes to the many intricacies of a world I would not have known otherwise.

I am grateful to have been allowed to be a McCarthy fellow. Thankfully, there was space for me in the program and I was accepted into the program for the 2024 fall semester cohort. I am also thankful to have been placed with the BHU and to have worked with the inspirational women there, Captain Heather Buren, Chelsea Nelson, Jennifer Greene, and Chrissy Snow. Through my work with the BHU, I have been able to learn so much about the specific mental health needs and concerns of the first responder population. There is still a lot of stigma within the fire service when it comes to getting mental health support. Although first responders are at higher risk of developing depression, stress-related disorders, and trauma-related disorders they are often hesitant to seek out help. This is why some individuals turn to substances to dull the pain. This can be due to the fear of being seen as weak or even the fear of losing their occupations.

The BHU is tasked with finding ways to support their members who are struggling. Initially, the BHU was referred to as the “Stress Unit”, and its primary focus was getting members enrolled in alcohol abuse rehabilitation programs. Now it has evolved as a support system that informs members of their mental health benefits and refers them to services or clinicians. Another large portion of their work is also educating members about mental health. Which is what I aided them with the most. I would assist them in researching and creating posts for the “Mindful Mondays”. Mindful Mondays are posts about mental health and wellness that would be posted on the SFFDPIO Instagram page on Mondays sporadically. I also helped proofread and edit articles they would publish in their Mainline magazine. Mainline is a magazine that includes a lot of informational articles and updates that are sent out to current and former SFFD members. Within this placement, I was also able to conduct a pilot study to observe the effectiveness of the mental health workshops and education the BHU is giving to members. This is because there is a body of research that suggests the importance of mental health information on positive psychological outcomes. The goal of this research would be to provide substantial evidence and support for the effectiveness of the unit and all its hard work.

Not only have I been able to learn all this new information, but I was also able to truly connect with people. People in a profession I would otherwise have little to no exposure to. Captain Heather Buren also let me do a few ride-alongs to observe SFFD operations. During this ride-along, I was able to get a glimpse of what SFFD members experience in their daily lives. The stressful situations of putting out fires and dealing with medical emergencies. I saw how they coped with it, how they spoke about it, and what drove them to these professions in the first place. Understanding more about what it’s like for them to put themselves on the front lines. How the work can be stressful, but also rewarding. I was also able to meet a wide variety of people who work together or work within the same profession.

What really struck me was the experiences of the women working in the department. How those who have been working longer faced a lot of resistance when they first entered the department. My supervisor Captain Heather Buren had mentioned that it felt like everyone was just watching her, waiting for her to slip up. While other women I spoke to noted that some men in the department simply didn’t want them in their firehouses or that they didn’t want to work with women in general. While the culture has certainly shifted since the 1980s, there is still a lot of pushback that women face in the fire service. Even in a city as progressive as San Francisco. This did highlight to me, how strong all of these women are. I have the utmost respect for the women in SFFD and at the BHU.

Learn how you can become a McCarthy Fellow in San Francisco here!