!["That kind of stress is just not healthy. And when you compound that over time, it [leads to] mental health issues."](https://media.abc10.com/assets/KXTV/images/5089957a-a7ab-4607-a7b8-86ec5db1c99a/5089957a-a7ab-4607-a7b8-86ec5db1c99a_1920x1080.jpg)
SACRAMENTO, Calif — Fire season in California is unprecedented, but it has been for several years now it seems.
"This is the new normal. It's no longer the cliché of, 'Oh, this is going to be the worst fire season ever,'" said Roberto Padilla. "Every year is a historical year now."
With catastrophic wildfires in addition to normal, every-day calls for service, California firefighters are feeling the weight, the stress, and anxiety of this new reality. And they’re experiencing it all on top of the coronavirus pandemic.
"That kind of stress is just not healthy. And when you compound that over time, it [leads to] mental health issues, affects our first responder members, the spouses, and people who live with them," Padilla said.
Padilla is the spokesperson for the Sacramento Area Firefighters Local 522 Union. He's also a firefighter himself. He's sharing the message there's help and services out there for firefighters who are mentally and physically exhausted. A PSA on their Facebook page encourages members to seek out help.
"We want to remind them that we are here for them. There's no shame in requesting the service," Padilla said.
And each fire season, there's loss of homes and lives. A firefighter from North Texas died Monday while on the job at the August Complex Fire in the Mendocino National Forest.
The volunteer fire department where she worked shared a photo she posted of the terrain. The next day she died. Her colleagues said they are left numb by the shocking news.
Padilla hopes departments at local and state levels support them as the fire season is nowhere near over.
"We do our job and do it with pride but can only go so far before it breaks down," Padilla said.
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