Donation honoring late firefighter Brian Slack will promote firefighter mental health

WELLINGTON — A $1,400 check in memory of the late Brian Slack was presented Sept. 19 to the Lorain County Fire Chiefs Association. The money was raised by the Columbia Station Eagles Riders in a poker run, and the money will be used to better educate local fire personnel on the recognition and treatment of mental health issues. Slack was a well-respected firefighter, fire officer, emergency medical technician and instructor who took his own life Sept. 26, 2020. He served with the Eaton Township Fire Department from 1985 until 2000, when he joined the Wellington Fire District and later returned to the Eaton firehouse. Slack's main passions were serving as a firefighter and riding his motorcycle, said Wellington fire Chief Mike Wetherbee, who also serves as president of the county chiefs association. "It was those close to Brian who knew that, although a person who loved life, Brian also experienced internal struggles," he said. "Was it these struggles that ultimately led him to choose the tragic decision of suicide? Were the signs there and went unnoticed, or perhaps, noticed and dismissed?" Slack's death brings to light awareness of mental health issues including depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, suicide and thoughts of self-harm that plague the nation's safety service professionals, Wetherbee said. The Lorain County Fire Chiefs Association "full recognizes this is a problem, agreeing that awareness, education and recognition is the key to combating it," he said.