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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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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Advanced Health & Educations (www.advhealth.com), Vice President of Business Development Mark Lamplugh, was a guest on the very popular Recovery Radio in South Florida. Mark talks about firefighter addiction and his work with the Frontline program (www.frontlinerehab.com) at Advanced Health. Firefighters tend to struggle with substance abuse and traumatic event issues because of the nature of their job. Mark also discuss’s some of his plans for the future, The problems with the opioid epidemic, some if the issues related to the addiction industry and his passion for helping addicts and alcoholics. The Frontline Program (www.frontlinerehab.com) focuses on firefighter addiction and ...
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