The Arlington County Fire Department failed to provide adequate mental health support to its first responders following the fatal midair collision near Reagan National Airport in 2025, according to an internal memo obtained by The Washington Post.
In January 2025, an Army helicopter collided with an American Airlines regional jet over the Potomac River, killing 67 people in what was the deadliest domestic plane crash in over two decades.
Twenty Arlington County Fire Department personnel responded to the collision, according to the memo, which details what it describes as “operational shortcomings, leadership deficiencies, and the critically inadequate post-incident personnel support.”
“This combination of absenteeism, inadequate mental health support, lack of transparency, and failure to recognize sacrifice has deeply damaged trust and left many responders feeling abandoned by the very organization they serve,” the memo says.
In a statement, Jamie Jill, a spokesperson for the Arlington County Fire Department, said the department’s first responders “performed admirably in unimaginable conditions.”
First responders experience greater exposure to traumatic events than the general population, Jill said. “Arlington County remains committed to improving access to care and supporting the long-term well-being of its first responders,” Jill said.
The memo, which was first reported on by WTOP, was written by a fire captain and sent to Fire Chief David Povlitz in April. It says it is based on interviews with all 20 of the department’s personnel who were first responders to the collision.
The memo says the department’s response to the psychological impact the crash had on its first responders has been “unacceptable” and “inadequate.”
“This was not a routine call; it was a prolonged, graphic mass-fatality recovery that has left lasting emotional scars on those involved,” the memo says.
After the crash, more than 300 emergency personnel responded from the District, Virginia and Maryland. Together, they recovered the bodies of the victims. In interviews with The Washington Post shortly after the crash, first responders described a solemn scene as they tried to find any survivors.
That work has taken an emotional toll that has lasted well beyond the crash itself, according to the memo.
Many Arlington County Fire Department responders exhausted the department’s workers’ compensation therapy sessions and have since paid out-of-pocket costs for continued care, according to the memo. First responders have reported experiencing increased depression, family strain, alcohol use and sleep disturbances, the memo says.
Immediately after the crash, members of the department’s Peer Support Team, a clinician from the Office of Public Safety Wellness and a wellness dog worked overnight and met with firefighters as they returned from the crash site, said Jill, the spokesperson. In the following months, the Peer Support Team reached out to every firefighter involved, and the Office of Public Safety Wellness continued offering therapy, plus referrals to specialized trauma providers, Jill said. Clinicians conducted station visits, and workers’ compensation claims were submitted by the department for each responder, Jill said.
Jill said there are barriers that impact access to mental health care for first responders. Jill cited how the Virginia legislature in 2020 allowed certain mental health conditions to be covered under workers’ compensation, but with time limits on coverage.
The memo also points to what the captain describes as an absence of Arlington County Fire Department leadership during and after the collision.
No Arlington County battalion chief, deputy chief or other senior officer was present at the primary recovery location during the multi-hour operation, according to the memo, and there were only “limited and random” check-ins from senior leadership after the crash.
“Despite the profound trauma of spending hours in freezing conditions handling dismembered bodies, pediatric victims, and severely mutilated remains, senior officers provided virtually no meaningful support,” the memo says.
The memo says many department personnel did not come forward with these concerns because they have worried about potential retribution.
“When members who performed one of the most traumatic duties in the department’s recent history feel they cannot speak openly without fear of professional consequences, it underscores a toxic cultural issue that must be addressed and corrected,” the memo says.
Public perception has been that the Arlington County Fire Department’s response to the crash was “effective” and that its support to first responders has been “meaningful,” the memo says.
“In reality,” the memo says, “the response was marked by significant leadership gaps, operational confusion, and a profound lack of sustained support for those who performed the most traumatic work.”
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