“It’s Okay to Not be Okay, But You Must Do Something About It!”Les Bowick began his career in the Fire Service in 2002 as a first-generation firefighter in the St. Andrews Fire Department in Charleston, South Carolina. In 2003, he left St. Andrews to join the Mount Pleasant Fire Department on the east side of Charleston. He worked his way up to hold many positions in the MPFD until he was promoted to the rank of Battalion Chief of Training, his current assignment.
Les is married to Kelly Bowick, and they are the parents of five children. Les and Kelly are the epitome of a first responder family as Kelly is a Battalion Chief/Paramedic for the Berkeley County Emergency Medical Services.
Like many of us in emergency services, Les has faced many struggles to include a divorce from his first wife, a son who took his life, a runaway daughter, a debilitating back injury, alcohol abuse, all leading to a diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and chronic depression and anxiety. All of these took a toll on Les and the most difficult was the loss of his son, Hayden. Even though he struggled for some time while alcohol abuse weighed heavily on him, he fought back with the help of his family and friends who love him.
In June of 2024, he consented to admission to the Shatterproof program in Florida for first responders and was inpatient for 35 days. During that time, he underwent extensive therapies to include EMDR, Neuro Brain Stimulation, group, and individual therapy. He learned how to maintain a healthier lifestyle with a commitment to return to his family and his firefighters to continue to help others in need. He and his wife joined the Lowcountry Firefighter/EMS/911 Support Team to encourage others to take better care of themselves.
As a speaker at the upcoming 2025 Emergency Services Behavioral Health Summit in July, Les will share his story and his journey back to being a husband, a father, a firefighter, and an advocate for others who have experienced, or will experience, unsettling life issues.
He believes in the mantra of “It’s Okay to Not be Okay, But You Must Do Something About It!” can work for all of us.