Reaching out to us for the first time can bring with it a lot of uncertainty, and for Scottish firefighter Dan Cook, his concerns lay around whether his injury was bad enough – something he describes as a form of “imposter syndrome”.
However, moments after arriving at Jubilee House, our centre in Cumbria, he realised he couldn’t have been more wrong – and no matter your reason for visiting, there’s support available for your level of need.
Dan, who’s based at Maryhill Fire Station in Glasgow, visited us in early 2024 after injuring his knee – specifically, his cruciate and meniscus.
“I went to see a fire service physiotherapist through Occupational Health at first,” says Dan. “After a few sessions they referred me to Jubilee House.
“The best part about going down there and working with the Charity was the physiotherapists that I had dealings with months before I went.
“They wrote up my plan and then I worked with them everyday down there. That consistency was just perfect for me, everything was dialled down to my individual needs, and I just didn’t expect that.
“The thing with physiotherapy that a lot of people probably don’t understand, and I didn’t until recently, was it’s not just ‘here’s a plan and you’re fixed’, it’s something you have to build into your everyday lifestyle to maintain.
“That education side of it that I got at Jubilee House, I’d never really had anywhere before. They got us to download an app, and every day when I checked my app, my exercises and reps and rests had changed.
“I think a lot of times, people think that they shouldn’t be using the Charity, but it’s there for us – it’s there for us to use. I filled the form in and I was offered a place within three weeks. It’s about getting you there, helping you, and getting you back on the run.”
If you feel you’d benefit from our health and wellbeing support, you can call our Support Line on 0800 389 8820, make an enquiry online or visit the ‘Access Support’ tab in My Fire Fighters Charity.
And remember – if you’re feeling suicidal, you can call our Crisis Line 24 hours a day on 0300 373 0896.