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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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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Serving as a First Responder comes with many responsibilities. Ongoing training, grueling shifts, and increasing call volumes are only a part of picture. Per the CDC, the fatality rate for EMS personnel is 2.5 times those of other occupations¹. And according to a 2015 estimate, there are 241,600 full-time EMS workers². With the changing landscape of healthcare and new developing roles of EMS staff, exposure to injuries and illnesses can be expected to increase. Working in the prehospital setting, EMS crews are exposed to inclement weather, volatile scenes, contagious diseases, hostile patients and bystanders, vehicle collisions, and a host of ...
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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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