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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The latest Call of Duty and Halo video games may be the most popular of the holiday season, but a three-decade-old classic is making headlines for a completely different reason. Tetris, research shows, can be used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the flashbacks so often associated with it. In a study conducted at Oxford University, researchers observed “that intrusive memories were virtually abolished by playing the computer game Tetris.” Their findings represent a major breakthrough in our understanding of PTSD and open up even more avenues to recovery for those afflicted. But before we delve into the study’s ...
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People serving in the Public Safety sector are used to acronyms. Codes for various situations, responses, and treatments exist in every department. If you transfer from one department to another, it can almost feel like you have landed in a foreign country. One acronym that everyone is familiar with these days is PTSD-Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. While many people have heard the term, there is a misconception about what PTSD represents. PTSD is the result of a single or chronic exposure to a traumatic event. This event(s) can range from car accidents, shootings, abuse, rape, or any situation where ...
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Frontline’s (www.frontlinerehab.com)Very Own Mark Lamplugh kicks off his first show of “Firefighter Wellness Radio” for Fire Engineering Blog Talk. Mark Lamplugh is a fourth-generation firefighter and former captain with the Lower Chichester (PA) Fire Company. He was the Chief Executive Officer of 360 Wellness Inc. (http://www.360wellness.org/) and is currently the Vice President with Advanced Health & Education (www.advhealth.com) and their Frontline Program (www.frontlinerehab.com). Lamplugh is also nationally recognized in Crisis Stress Intervention through the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress. He has helped hundreds of firefighters, police officers, veterans, EMS personnel, and civilians nationwide find help for addiction, alcoholism, PTSD, and ...
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Mark Lamplugh and Terry Cronin were guests on Army WTF radio with host Redleg and discussed issues of addiction and PTSD. Mark and Terry also talked about the Frontline program at Sprout Health Groups New Jersey location Advanced Health & Education. Mark and Terry talk about the prevalence of these issues with Army, other military branches along with Police, Fire, and EMS. You can see the original broadcast and find the links for the different services available in the links below. If you or someone you know is struggling with an addiction issue it’s imperative you reach out for help. ...
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A 2005 case involving paramedic Michael Carey illustrated what can go wrong when a person who has dedicated their lives to helping others is overcome by the twisted logic of addiction. Arriving on the scene of a horrific car crash, Carey, cash-strapped and high on the anti-anxiety drug Librium, frisked an unconscious woman as she lay bleeding on the ground. He stole $6,100 – money the victim, Cleotilda Maria Arroyo, was saving to buy a home in Mexico. Carey needed the money. He had bills to pay. His addiction to alcohol and drugs had drained his finances to the point ...
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By: La Mesa Police Captain (ret) Dan S. Willis What was the worst call you have ever been on? How many different ways did that call and so many others adversely affect your health and wellness, your relationships at home, how you perceive your job and the community, and the quality of your life? Could you have been better prepared before and after, to more constructively process the acute stress and trauma of a professional firefighter? Consistently being immersed in death, tragedies, danger, heartache, and suffering can often scar the spirit of any first responder – particularly firefighters and EMT ...
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