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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We all dream about the day. Many of us make jokes and some can even tell you to the day how many shifts they have before retirement. Law enforcement is a grueling career. Filled with many opportunities to truly change the course of someone’s life for the better. But also, filled with many moments of despair. Retirement can be the proverbial pot of gold at the end of someone’s career. Like many dreams, the reality doesn’t always meet expectations. For many, those dreams of being retired and golfing whenever or relaxing by a beach sometimes fall short. Retiring from law ...
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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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At bars, restaurants and homes across America, many adults enjoy alcoholic beverages responsibly. However, there are those for whom drinking becomes a deadly addiction that sours personal and professional relationships and endangers lives. It’s no small number, either – according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, nearly 18 million adults have an alcohol use disorder. Firefighters are disproportionately affected. Among the 112 career firefighters surveyed in the study “Sleep Problems, Depression, Substance Use, Social Bonding, and Quality of Life in Professional Firefighters,” 80% used alcohol (averaging about one to two drinks per day), 56% binge drank (four or more ...
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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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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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