“Still Riding”

We are pleased to share that Dr. David Griffin will be one of our featured speakers at our Emergency Services Behavioral Health Summit being held in Charleston on July 14, 2021. David Griffin is a Battalion Chief and Shift Commander in the Charleston, South Carolina Fire Department. He was the operator of the first due engine on June 18, 2007 when nine of his fellow firefighters perished in the line of duty at what is now known as the Sofa Super Store Fire. Countless lives were changed forever that day. How do you respond to losing 9 firefighters in one incident? How do you make sense of something like this? For those who experienced it, there were many different responses. We must remember, everyone responds to trauma differently so the way we cope with it is different as well. There is no exact process that everyone can follow. There is a journey for each respective person to find peace with the turmoil a tragedy like this presents. For him, at first, it was alcohol, prescription drugs, anger, confusion, difficulty sleeping, flashbacks, mixed martial arts fighting, total resistance to change, and a struggle to come to work each day following the fire.
Dr. Griffin has come through the ranks from Firefighter, Assistant Engineer, Engineer, Captain, Battalion Chief, and current Shift Commander. He has a Bachelor of Science in Education from The Citadel, a Master of Science in executive fire service leadership, and a Doctorate of Education in organizational leadership and development. He is the author of the Best Seller, In Honor of The Charleston 9: A Study of Change Following Tragedy, ACTION: 9 Missions for Personal and Professional Growth, From PTSD to PTG: A Firefighter’s (My) Journey After A Multiple LODD Incident, and Tattoos and Trauma: The Healing Power of Tattoos for Emergency Responders.
He is also an international speaker and instructor, a certified Chief Fire Officer and Chief Training Officer with The Center for Public Safety Excellence, and a graduate of the Executive Fire Officer Program from The National Fire Academy. He was recently selected to complete Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Executive Education program entitled, Senior Executives in State and Local Government in July of 2021. David is also the owner of On A Mission, LLC at drdavidgriffin.com.
Join us as Dr. Griffin take us through his journey and is “Still Riding”.