Fire as a Weapon: The Trauma We Rarely Talk About and One Officer’s Story of What Comes After

 

West Palm Beach, Fl - When most people think about murder, their minds immediately go to guns or knives. Violence, as it’s often portrayed in movies and headlines, feels fast, loud, and sudden.

Fire rarely enters the conversation.

Yet for retired California law enforcement veteran Charles “Chuck” Sherman, fire represents one of the most brutal and psychologically devastating weapons a person can use, not only for victims, but for the first responders who must witness the aftermath.

An in-depth interview with Sherman is available as a free podcast through the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast, as well as on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and most major podcast platforms.

After decades in policing, Sherman is now speaking openly about an experience that reshaped how he understands trauma, resilience, and the hidden emotional cost of public safety work.

“People don’t realize fire can be used as a weapon just like a gun,” Sherman says. “And when you see it firsthand, it changes you.”

Through the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast interview and conversations shared across social media platforms, Sherman hopes to spark discussions that go beyond crime itself, focusing instead on mental health, preparation, and the realities many officers carry long after their shift ends.

When Fire Becomes a Weapon

Legally, arson is defined as the intentional act of setting fire to property. Most people associate it with burned buildings, insurance fraud, or attempts to cover up other crimes.

But statistics only tell part of the story.

Sometimes, fire is used directly against another human being.

“There are cases where someone is intentionally set on fire,” Sherman explains. “That’s homicide, and it happens more than people think.”

Each year in the United States, fire-related deaths include accidents, suicides involving self-immolation, and intentional killings. Unlike other forms of violence, fire attacks are often prolonged and chaotic, creating intense sensory experiences that leave lasting impressions on everyone present, including the officers who respond.

The Call That Changed Everything

At the time of the incident that would stay with him forever, Sherman was a police sergeant with years of experience behind him. He had investigated violent crimes, handled emergencies, and supervised countless critical incidents.

He believed he had seen it all.

Then came a call he never expected.

While on duty, a citizen flagged him down about a violent situation nearby. When Sherman arrived, he discovered a man who had been doused with a flammable liquid and intentionally set on fire.

“I realized within seconds this was completely different from anything I’d handled before,” he recalls.

Despite decades of professional training, Sherman says nothing prepared him for the emotional impact of what he witnessed.

“We train for weapons, tactics, and survival,” he says. “But almost nobody trains you for the emotional reality of seeing someone burned alive.”

Experience Doesn’t Always Equal Preparation

Sherman’s law enforcement career spanned nearly thirty years. He began as a detention officer with the Kern County Sheriff’s Department before joining the Bakersfield Police Department. During his seventeen years there, he served as an officer, detective, field training officer, academy coordinator, and eventually a sergeant.

Later, he continued public service as an investigator with the Kern County District Attorney’s Office until retiring in 2022.

By every professional measure, he was experienced and prepared.

Yet experience didn’t shield him from the psychological weight of that day.

“You think experience prepares you for everything,” Sherman says. “It doesn’t.”

The Trauma Few People See

Fire-related deaths affect more senses than many other incidents, something Sherman says makes them uniquely difficult to process.

“It hits every sense at once — sight, smell, sound,” he explains. “Your brain doesn’t forget that.”

For many officers, there is no time to slow down afterward. One traumatic call is often followed immediately by another routine service call, leaving little opportunity to process what just happened.

“You go from something horrific straight to the next call,” Sherman says. “There’s rarely time to stop and deal with it.”

He believes fire-related incidents are among the most common, yet least discussed sources of trauma in policing.

When Support Doesn’t Match the Experience

The emotional impact didn’t end at the scene.

Sherman says the legal outcome of the case, along with what he felt was limited compassion from leadership afterward, left a lasting impression. It reinforced a concern shared by many first responders: emotional recovery often receives less attention than operational performance.

“Sometimes you expect understanding from your own organization,” he says. “And sometimes it just isn’t there.”

The experience strengthened his belief that mental health support must become a core part of training, not an afterthought.

Rethinking How We Talk About Violence

Under U.S. law, murder is defined as the unlawful killing of another person with intent or conscious disregard for human life. Public conversations often focus on shootings or stabbings, but Sherman believes fire-related killings reveal a different and often overlooked reality.

“Fire is slow, painful, and terrifying,” he says. “It’s one of the cruelest ways someone can take a life.”

And for the people who respond, the effects don’t disappear once the flames are gone.

The Human Side of First Responders

Sherman’s career unfolded in Bakersfield, California, a growing city where officers respond daily to everything from routine calls to life-altering emergencies. Crime statistics may show trends, but they rarely capture the emotional experiences behind each response.

That gap between numbers and human impact is what Sherman now hopes to address.

Through storytelling and long-form conversations, he shares not just what happened, but how it felt and why those feelings matter.

“Cops are expected to handle the worst moments of humanity,” he says. “But we’re still human beings absorbing trauma every day.”

Why These Conversations Matter

Conversations about wellness, burnout, and mental health are becoming more common across many professions. Sherman believes law enforcement must be part of that cultural shift.

By speaking openly about fire as a weapon and the trauma surrounding it, he hopes to encourage better preparation, stronger peer support, and more compassion within agencies and communities alike.

Because some experiences don’t end when the report is filed.

“Some calls stay with you forever,” Sherman says. “And this was one of them.”

Want to learn more?

The full interview is available as a free podcast on the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast website, as well as on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and most major podcast platforms.

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