I have been a police officer, detective, member of a regional drug task force, member of a DEA narcotics task force, and Chief of Police. I am also a heroin addict. This story is neither a historical justification nor a self-indictment, but rather a cautionary tale. If in 2004 someone had told me that I was to become an addict, I would have laughed in their face. If only my loved ones and I received education in addiction, maybe things would have gone differently. Maybe my huge house and three car garage would still be mine. Maybe my professional reputation ...
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Addiction Doesn’t Discriminate The words ‘law enforcement officer’ and ‘addict’ seem opposed. Part of the tasks officers face is to stop the distribution and use of drugs. Many of the people they come to know daily are in the middle of one addiction or another. Just like the myth that addiction only strikes the down-and-out, it is a misconception that law enforcement officials are immune to becoming addicts. Moreover, while it is true that some choose to engage in illegal behavior, the majority come because of a work-related injury. With the physical nature of the job and risks of injury, ...
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We all have had rough shifts. Maybe it was only one call. Alternatively, perhaps you have had months of nothing but the worst. Maybe you are looking back over a career full of bad calls. As a firefighter, it is your job to step in and help people in situations that might be the worst moment in their life. However, what happens when the call is over, and your shift is done? You can’t just drop the images alongside your boots and walk away. Deciding how to process those tough calls can make or break you. Not all Kitty Cats ...
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I sat in a jail cell for three days in July of 2016. I had received yet another DUI as well as several other criminal charges. My alcoholism and drug use have caused me significant pain and suffering for my entire adult life. However, the prior year to this arrest things has completely spiraled out of control. Within the span of 12 months, my addiction had caused me to lose or harm everything important in my life; my marriage, my career, my relationship with my child and numerous health issues. As I sat in that jail cell, all I was ...
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Do you remember your first job? I am willing to say you probably encountered situations and people that made you say, “If I ever am the boss one day, I will be sure NOT to do that!”. We all have experienced positive and negative work environments. One of the most common complaints is that once a person gets promoted, they forget what it is like to be on the lower rung. In any business, stress can become the everyday norm when the overall tone of an organization is dysfunctional. Of course, this leads to additional stress and discontent across all ...
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Working As a Firefigher With PTSD – Smoke in the air. The blaring alarm. Every firefighter knows the rush of emotions that fill the heart when it’s time to roll. Excitement. Anticipation. Fear. Is this the Big One? Is today the day my number’s up? However, in the gung-ho fire environment, too often the feelings that haunt us are pushed down to the bottom. Nobody wants to look weak in front of his or her teammates. Nobody wants to be “that Guy”. So we repress, force a grim smile, and get back to work. The things we’ve seen stay with ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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