Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is sometimes called the invisible wound. PTSD represents one illness that has varying degrees of symptoms. Most firefighters and other first responders are susceptible to getting PTSD because it’s caused by a stressful, frightening, or distressful event, or prolonged exposure to traumatic experiences. All people have various levels of emotional resilience, which is why some firefighters are more susceptible to acquiring PTSD than some other firefighters. Just as military personnel may have little or no exposure to trauma depending on their job assignments, firefighters also have disparate levels of resilience based on their level of ...
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Chances are, if you serve in the capacity of a First Responder, you have heard a lot lately about PTSD. Terms like ‘Critical Incident Stress Management’ (CISM), ‘critical incident stress debriefing’ (CISD), and ‘crisis response’ have been circulating heavily for the past 15 years. Acting in the capacity of a First Responder exposes people to extreme circumstances and events. Whether it is a one-time event or it compounds over time, psychological trauma is a very real enemy to first responders. In order to mitigate traumatic incidents, debriefing teams have been developed by agencies to offer their crews an outlet following ...
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The citizens of our nation owe a world of gratitude to our first responders for the stressful and difficult jobs that they perform in saving lives every day. Unfortunately, the chronic nature of job stress is more than many first responders can manage without finding ways to decompress the emotional and physical toll that it takes on their bodies. Many first responders turn to having a few drinks or experimenting with drugs to help them find a little homeostasis after a rough call, never thinking that it could turn into an addiction. The rate of addictions among all first responders ...
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9-1-1 dispatchers take a barrage of calls including fires, medical emergencies, auto accidents, and other life-threatening issues. One call quickly follows another. At the end of a shift it’s hard for dispatchers to ascertain which of the calls they took was the most tragic. 9-1-1 dispatchers leave the station after a shift, but the sounds and thoughts of the emergency calls follow them out the door and haunt them in their dreams later at night—if they can sleep at all. 9-1-1 Dispatchers Get Top Ranking as One of the Most Stressful Occupations Researcher, Laurence Shatkin, Ph.D., compared the stress levels ...
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Firefighter Wellness Radio’s guest tonight is Dan Kerrigan & Jim Moss who are the co-authors of Firefighter Functional Fitness. It is the essential guide to optimal firefighter performance and longevity. It provides all firefighters with the knowledge, tools, and mindset to maximize their fireground performance, reduce their risk of injury and line-of-duty death, and have long, healthy careers and retirements. Website: FirefighterFunctionalFitness.com, Twitter: @FirefighterFFit, Facebook: @FirefighterFFit Instagram: @FirefighterFunctionalFitness Your host Mark W Lamplugh Jr is a 4th generation firefighter and former Captain with Lower Chichester Fire Company(PA). Mark has been instrumental in the creation of several addiction and PTSD programs throughout the United States over ...
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Firefighter Mullins loved his career. He never got tired of the adrenaline rush that came on at the sound of the alarm bell. He always found it hard to unwind after a life-threatening call, so he and the other firefighters almost always had a few drinks before they went home. Firefighter Mullins didn’t think he had an addiction to alcohol, although, he was always the first one to arrive at the bar and the last one to leave. He might even have another drink when he got home—just to help him get to sleep. His wife had cautioned him that ...
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Joining us on FireFighter Wellness Radio on Fire Engineering Blog talk Radio is Joel Brier from IAFF Local 2928 joins us to talk about how he serves the firefighters of Palm Beach County Fire Rescue. Joel is retired after 30 years as a line firefighter and still currently represents over 2000 firefighters and paramedics as a union official as has done so for the last 33 years. He is a certified addiction counselor as well as a seasoned interventionist. Mark W Lamplugh Jr Your host Mark W Lamplugh Jr is a 4th generation firefighter and former Captain with Lower Chichester Fire Company(PA). Mark ...
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Frontline Responder Services very own John Becker was invited on Living Clean & Sober. Living Clean & Sober explores what it’s like to live and sober. Tune in Monday Nights 8:00 – 9:00 pm to Listen Live to Living Clean and Sober with Johnny Raggs & Ken MacDonald Call in LIVE Mondays 8:00 – 9:00 pm with Your Questions & Comments! Contact host John Raggio at jraggio@harptreatmentcenter.com Call In LIVE Monday Nights 609-241-7103 http://www.coaradio.com/coarr/6-19-17lcs.mp3 About Advanced Health & Education and Frontline Responder Services Addiction can ruin relationships and destroy your future. Advanced Health and Education’s New Jersey drug rehab and alcohol rehab ...
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If you are the kind of person who thrives when your adrenaline is pumping hard, a career as a paramedic might just be up your alley. Paramedics need to be able to think on their feet and make good decisions in a chaotic, crisis environment. Because of their erratic schedules, paramedics often work when they are over-tired and haven’t had a break for many hours. Exhausting schedules and managing repeated crisis calls place high stress on paramedics. Might some paramedics be tempted to take pill or two from their supply to help take an edge off their stress? Paramedics Are ...
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Special Montgomery County CISM Training Announcement Seminar Title: Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Training for First Responders Description: This 3-day course combines the content of the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation’s Individual Crisis Intervention and Peer Support/Group Crisis Intervention Courses. Often called “Emotional First Aid,” it is designed to present the core elements of a multi-component crisis intervention curriculum and prepare participants to understand a wide range of crisis intervention services for both the individual and for groups. The fundamentals of CISM will be outlined, and participants will leave with knowledge and tools to provide several group crisis interventions: demobilizations, ...
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