Mayor Expresses Gratitude for PTSD Policy for Firefighters
An important step toward a better and more equitable approach to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for firefighters in all safety regions. This is the “Regulation on the Recognition of PTSD as an Occupational Disease and Related Entitlements,” which took effect on February 1. Mayor Nadine Stemerdink is grateful that there is now a PTSD regulation in place for firefighters—both professional and volunteer.
Emergency response personnel are regularly confronted with traumatic situations that they may find distressing. If help is delayed or not provided, the employee may develop PTSD: a mental health disorder that has a significant impact on quality of life, not only for the individual but also for those around them. Social relationships, work performance, and participation in education can suffer severely as a result. A PTSD program was already in place for Department of Defense and police personnel. Following a careful consultation process, nationwide recognition of the program has now been extended to the fire department as well.
Call for Policy
PTSD is treatable, but until now it has fallen under the general category of “work-related disability incurred in the line of duty.” Both the Voorschoten City Council and Mayor Nadine Stemerdink asked the Hollands Midden Safety Region (VRHM) to establish a policy so that both professional and volunteer firefighters can count on receiving the appropriate assistance going forward.
The same situations as those faced by colleagues in the profession
“87 percent of the firefighters in our safety region—and as many as 100 percent of the firefighters in Voorschoten—do this work on a volunteer basis,” says Mayor Stemerdink. “But they can find themselves in the same situations as their professional colleagues. Take the train accident in 2023, for example, where our fire department was the first on the scene. That’s why I’m grateful that there’s a PTSD program for the fire department that doesn’t distinguish between professionals and volunteers. Every volunteer firefighter can now count on the same approach to PTSD as the professional firefighters. Thanks to the VRHM, but also to our own city council, which has championed this cause!”
Income Support and Reimbursement of Necessary Expenses
The increased focus on PTSD and the safety regions’ desire to promote good employment practices led to the creation of a collective program for all employees and volunteers. The program took effect on February 1, 2026, and is retroactive for 5 years. First and foremost, the program provides income support: a supplement to wages, a supplement to WIA benefits, and income compensation for self-employed individuals. In addition, necessary expenses can be reimbursed, ranging from medical costs and household help to transportation and child care.