Essex firefighter who found herself in a 'dark place' speaks mental health

Katie Maynard, of Brightlingsea, will soon be an on-call firefighter for the Essex Fire and Rescue Service.

The 28-year-old is currently training at Dovercourt fire station.

Seven months ago the emergency worker’s outlook on life took a turn for the worse and she did not know where to turn or how to alter her mindset.

She found herself struggling to cope with the death of her boyfriend, who had been tragically killed in a motorcycle accident in 2018.

Katie, who runs a business training horses, said she also found herself in a destructive relationship with a new partner and spent the majority of her time drinking alcohol.

“I moved out of my family home and started living on my own,” she said.

“I spent a year not caring about anything other than alcohol and partying and then I found myself in a toxic relationship.

“I was suicidal, I was in a hole and it took me a long time to get out of it.”

NEW BEGINNING: Katie Maynard with Dovercourt Fire Station's 2nd squad

Katie’s life, however, was given new meaning after she decided to train to become an on-call firefighter in her home town of Brightlingsea and turned to exercise.

Since doing so, she says her mental wellbeing and relationships with her family and friends have dramatically improved and she is overall more positive.

She said: “I found an on-call advert on Facebook and my mum joked about it at first, but then I thought: ‘I really fancy that’.

“I threw myself into the fitness side of things and started looking after my mental wellness.

“I was running every day and bought weights and other equipment because I didn’t know how fit I’d have to get.

“The fire service really gave me a goal, something to aim for, and I’m still running three times a week and using the station gym.”

Read more >>> Firefighter bravely speaks about his mental health battle to help others

She decided to share her struggles with her mental health as part of the project to raise awareness of issues for Mental Health Awareness Week and to encourage more people to reach out for support.

Katie, who should be able to attend incidents from June, added: “I’ve suffered from depression throughout my life, but I never used to talk about my problems.

“It wasn’t until I got angry and my personality changed that I realised I needed to do something.

“My advice is to talk. All I needed to do was to talk to friends and family.

“I have never felt so happy and comfortable in my own skin than I do today.

“My message is: ‘You are amazing just the way you are and there is help and support if you need it’.”

If you are struggling with your mental health visit essex.gov.uk/mental-health/get-help-and-support.