Month: November 2016

Firefighter Stress: Manage It so It Doesn’t Manage You

• Frontline
• Categories: First Responders
• Tags: and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, anxiety, chronic stress, danger or job-related stress., depression, EMDR, Firefighter Stress, firefighter wellness, firefighters binge, Firefighting, Focused Stress-relief Strategies, Inadequate training, Managing Stress, mirror eye movements, Performing physical exercise, personal danger, Poor leadership, psychological distress, PTSD, REM sleep phase, Rough calls, Shift work stress, Sleep Deprivation, stress-reducing therapies, Stressful Career, symptoms of debilitating stress, The U.S. Firefighters Association, unhealthy coping strategies
• November 29, 2016

Firefighter Stress: Manage It so It Doesn’t Manage You All firefighters can identify a reason that sparked their initial passion for becoming a firefighter—to serve their community, to save people, to work as part of a team, to become part of the station house brotherhood, or something else. That reason turns into a passion that supersedes any fear of danger or job-related stress. Firefighting: The Second Most Stressful Career When comparing vocations with the highest stress levels, those that top the list involve some kind of personal danger. CareerCast (The Most Stressful Jobs of 2016, n.d.) studied stress factors with regard ... Read more

Living in Danger: Getting Paid to Go to Prison

• John Becker
• Categories: First Responders
• Tags: accountability partners, American Psychological Association, chronic stress, Coronary Artery Disease, Corrections Officer, Critical Incident Reviews, depression, diabetes, Firefighter, First Responder, Heart attack, High blood pressure, John Becker Jr., Law Enforcement Officer, Paramedic, PTSD and corrections officers, Stroke, struggles of Firefighters, Sudden mood swings, trigger PTSD
• November 22, 2016

If you have a job as a First Responder, whether it be as a Law Enforcement Officer, a Paramedic, or a Firefighter, you start each shift with the understanding that it could be your last. The risks of injuries and even death are increasing in alarming numbers for each of those professions. But as a firefighter, you get the luxury of being surrounded by supportive coworkers, taking turns cooking meals, and having your own secure place to train and relax between calls. As a paramedic, you get the fulfillment of seeing new life enter the world, you get to help ... Read more

9-1-1: The Dispatcher Is in Distress

• Frontline
• Categories: First Responders
• Tags: • Constant anxious state, Change in sex drive, chronic stress, Compassion Fatigue, Compassion Fatigue Awareness Project, Cumulative Stress, dealing with ptsd, depression, diabetes, diagnosed with PTSD, difficulty sleeping, Dispatching emergency teams, first responder ptsd, Flashbacks, Frontline, Frontline Responder Services, gastric ulcers, hypertension, impact of stress, increased heart rate, Indirect Stress, Journal of Traumatic Stress, Mayo Clinic, migraines, Muscle tension or pain, National Traumatic Stress Network (NTSN), practice self-care, PTSD and severe stress, rontline dispatchers, Secondary Trauma, Signs and Symptoms of Stress, Signs and symptoms of trauma, substance abuse, Three Kinds of Stress, traumatic event, type of stress, vicarious traumatization, weight gain
• November 7, 2016

9-1-1: The Dispatcher Is in Distress Every 9-1-1 call begins exactly the same. The dispatcher answers the call and calmly asks what the emergency is. The response from the caller is usually a frantic, distraught voice of someone who needs help right away. For the length of the call, the emergency dispatcher is the voice of calm that assists the caller in managing the crisis until help arrives. Behind the soothing voice, adrenalin is pumping full force, as the dispatcher struggles to find the balance between hope and fear. A 2014 report by the Office of the Auditor in the ... Read more