The Slow Burn: How Cumulative Stress Silently Destroys First Responders

PTSD is a term most people associate with combat veterans, but for first responders, the reality is something different. It's not one defining moment. It's hundreds of them, building slowly over a career that can span decades. One call, then another, then another, until the cup runs over. Chief Hudson, with 53 years in public safety, breaks down the distinction between PTSD and what he calls cumulative traumatic stress disorder, why first responders experience trauma differently than almost any other profession, and why waiting until things fall apart is the most dangerous plan of all. He also opens up about his own experience working at Ground Zero and what finally got him through the door to talk to someone.