Post-traumatic Stress…We Are Not Immune! Brothers and sisters, we face repeated exposure to traumatic events throughout our careers. Some of these events make a remarkable impact in our minds, challenge our character, and test the limits of our emotions. This year alone, my department has faced grueling and stressful challenges: the loss of two children in a residential fire, a young man severed in half by a seat belt while riding in the back seat of a speeding car that struck a tree, and caring for a young girl trying to commit suicide because she is suffering from an inoperable tumor. For some emergency service professionals, these “routine” events are just that — routine, part of the job that we do. But for others, these events leave a dark cloud which disrupts their career, behavior, lifestyle, and mental ability. As a captain in my organization, I have seen the damage firsthand, watched employees become recluse, turn to alcohol or drugs, and slip out of touch from their families and friends. These events are painful, and I believe that we can make a difference. This article is meant to peak your awareness and get each of you to learn more. Post-traumatic stress still remains a silent, unspoken, and dangerous problem in our professional circle. This serious disorder requires immediate identification, intervention, and support. Supervisors and co-workers alike have a responsibility to identify those “significant emotional events” and, if necessary, access appropriate intervention, reporting, and most importantly give support. Identification still remains the basis for managing post-traumatic stress and proactively preparing emergency service personnel for future involvement in traumatic incidents. Post-traumatic stress is a reality for emergency service professionals. Traumatic incident exposure can result in both adverse and positive outcomes. This provides organizations with the ability to make choices regarding these outcomes. Increasing the likelihood positive results from traumatic events requires identifying the mechanisms by which such outcomes are secured. Drawing upon personal experiences and data from studies of traumatic events and post-traumatic stress which examine the role of personality, fears, organizational factors, and employee support, the organization can become stronger and better prepared for such events. Good reasoning exists for anticipating post-traumatic stress in emergency service professionals. For example, it is their motivation to help people that results in their electing to enter a profession that inevitably increases the likelihood of their exposure to traumatic events. Indeed, a prominent coping strategy in emergency service populations is reminding themselves of their helping role. Exercising their professional role affords opportunities to interpret traumatic experiences in ways that could have productive consequences. When responding to incidents, they could interpret their experience in terms of its adverse qualities and/or in regard to their role in providing assistance. This raises questions regarding the context within which choices are made and the factors which motivated those choices. Upon securing from these incidents with a traumatic event, emergency professionals may have a “round table” at the beanery and have a few laughs, hit the weight room for a quick set, or enjoy a quiet moment alone for a prayer. While these activities hold significant value for most, there may be someone in your group which has not developed the ability to sort through all of these new emotions. Knowing your crews and co-workers allows us to be on the “lookout” for potential problems. It doesn’t mean being nosey; it means being there as a receptive, watchful resource who cares about his or her crew. My point is this: no matter how hard you try to “relieve” this heavy burden, you still can succumb to post traumatic stress. To demonstrate commitment to their personnel, emergency service organizations should develop policies, procedures, and methodologies that will facilitate the availability of resources required to resolve a post-traumatic stress event. These resources need to be available to all members, easily accessible, and available at any time of day. In addition, the frequency events will drive the organization’s choices made regarding organizational resources which respond to the traumatic event. The exposure to a traumatic event calls for this process to be viewed as one that encompasses personal and organizational learning, thus ensuring the systematic integration of individual and organizational capacities. This is fundamental to facilitating growth potential, developing trust between the employees and the organization, and ensuring good mental health. This can be achieved by critically reviewing crises and using simulations to challenge complacency and encourage the collaborative learning, creative decision making, and adaptive capacities required to provide an organizational culture that facilitates post-traumatic growth outcomes. In the world of emergency services, traumatic events can create psychological havoc on our personnel, but this doesn’t have to be. Remember the famous phrases: “Everybody Goes Home,” “Do The Right Thing,” “Keep The Faith.” These are not just words. These “one-liners” are a philosophy about our brothers and sisters. The philosophy to keep others safe, provide them physical and moral support, reinforcement during the good and the bad, and make sure our voices are heard in developing quality policies and procedures that affect our job. Post-traumatic stress doesn’t have to be a “bad word”; it needs to be respected, identified, and treated. Find out what resources your department has, and be part of the solution. (See related article: "Reflections" by Ray Hoff.) © Copyright Firenuggets.com 2005 • Click here for Terms and Conditions of Use
|
®
