I’m Jamie Starcher and have been in the Fire Service for over 30 years. I served in the U.S. Army as a combat engineer during Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm prior to my Fire Service career. I worked construction jobs until I was given the gift to become a Firefighter. I recently retired as a Lieutenant from the Norwalk Fire Department as a member of IAFF Local 1199. I’ve been married forever (35 yrs.) and we have 3 sons. Our oldest son is a career Firefighter/Medic with Norwalk Firefighters L-1199. I got involved with the OAPFF Peer Support program over 8 years ago. I’ve always had a passion for helping others, especially our Brothers and Sisters. I truly understand the difficulties and struggles of this great profession. I come from a generation of Firefighters that didn’t talk about feelings or issues. We weren’t aware of what the job and the things we saw were doing to us. I have since learned that we all are fighting battles from within that sometimes are too much to bear. Our lives can improve, we can win those battles and we can deal with real things going on inside us by talking to each other and reaching out. Peer support is extremely powerful and is key to living a healthy life. I am an avid outdoorsman/hunter and spend a lot of time with my hunting dog. I enjoy riding motorcycles, UTVs, working in my shop, or hanging out in my woods in West Virginia.