WBNS - 10TV by LACEY CRISP PUBLISHED: 05/10/19 01:00 PM EDTUPDATED: 05/10/19 06:11 PM EDT

Orange Township Firefighter Trever Murphy had a contagious smile and was an outgoing guy who loved music, baseball and career. “To us, Trever was that all-American boy you would see depicted in every Norman Rockwell painting,” said his mom, Kathrine Hardin. “From the age of three, the boy knew he was a firefighter." But the career Trever loved also caused pain. “The last two runs he took, a girl died in his arms as a child. Then, the very last run he was able to go on, he laid down with a man who had gasoline pouring on him and the victim, and he was trying to save this gentleman. When he released him from his seatbelt, he died in his arms,” Kathrine said. Kathrine said Trever tried to help himself, but several factors led to a downward spiral. “Friday, around noon, the world stopped,” said Trever's dad, Gary Hardin. Gary and Kathrine's pain is still very raw. They admit it's not easy to talk about their son, but they say they need to speak out. “The stigma is out there so badly, that these people think they have to be the strong ones,” Kathrine said. Advertisement - Story continues below Orange Township Fire Chief Matthew Noble says 37% of EMT firefighters have contemplated suicide. "That's versus 3.7% for the general public,” Noble said. “It's an epidemic." Noble says first responders need to know there's help for them and they need to be able to ask for it. “I order to suppress or to kind of tuck away or to compartmentalize those issues we are facing, we are not always honest or forthcoming,” Noble said. The Hardins have set up a GoFundMe to help cover Trever's funeral costs and to start a fund for mental health resources for first responders. “It feels good to deliver Trever's message, to let everyone know that he doesn't have to be the only one. He doesn't have to be that statistic. He should be able to get his message out there. He should not die in vain so others can live,” Kathrine said. Trever is the second firefighter in the last two months in central Ohio who has died by suicide. Columbus firefighter Shane Brintlinger passed away in February.