Travis Howze urged Mississippi first responders on Tuesday to confront the cumulative trauma of their work, telling more than 600 attendees at the fourth annual Mississippi Public Safety Summit in Flowood that “our people are in combat every day.”
Howze, a former Marine, police officer and firefighter who now speaks internationally on mental wellness, said first responders lack the geographic distance from trauma that many military veterans have. “You’re consuming nothing but bad,” he said, “and you’re not offloading it.”
The summit at the Sheraton Flowood The Refuge Hotel and Conference Center was hosted by the Office of the Attorney General and the Mississippi Department of Public Safety. Attendance has grown steadily since the event launched in 2023, when about 300 people attended, organizers said, and Howze served as the opening-night keynote speaker.
Howze recounted volunteering for body recovery after a 2007 warehouse fire in Charleston, South Carolina, that killed nine fellow firefighters. He said dark humor can help first responders cope but also can hide distress and that departments should train personnel to recognize signs of mental-health struggles in colleagues.
He warned against letting an identity collapse into a job title and urged responders to prepare for life after service. This is a developing story and will be updated as more details emerge.
