Everyone has ‘one of those days’ now and again, and for me, last Tuesday definitely fit the bill. I started my shift at 0800, and by 1000 had done two codes, and called them 15 minutes apart. My third code of the day was later that night, a traumatic arrest. By the time my shift ended at midnight, I was done… Or so I thought. At 0400 the tones went off for an extrication that ended up with a DOA.
Needless to say, it was ‘one of those days’. It set me thinking though. Those of us who have been in the fire and EMS services for a while take fatals for granted. You’ll hear the ‘old timers’ talking about ‘good’ and ‘bad’ fatals. You may even see us joking about the event, and making light of the situation. The problem is, we often do not think about the effects that ‘bad’ calls have on our brethren and ourselves.
It used to be that we were told to ‘suck it up, and deal’ with tough calls, and that it ‘came with the job’. The truth of the matter is that we each deal with calls differently, and we need to count on our brethren for support. We also need to realize that our ‘newer’ members may not be able to cope as well as those of us who have been around and have developed ways to cope.
When someone first comes to the service, they often believe the TV ways in which people always come back when shocked, and when they do die, it’s a graceful thing. TV glamorizes our job, and those of us who have been around for a while understand the truth. We need to go above and beyond to help our brethren through tough times.
One of the best things to happen to emergency services was the concept of critical incident stress debriefing and understanding critical incident stress. (http://www.icisf.org/ ) I strongly suggest that if you get a chance, you and your officers should undergo CISM training. The concept is simple. The support of your brethren, along with the availability of professional help, can help us to get through trying situations.
The system is set up to deal with the ‘large’ or ‘obvious’ situations of mass casualties, or special calls. I believe that the system should be used any time there is a ‘bad’ call. After any fatal, I go out of my way to talk with my crew, with special time set aside for the ‘newer’ members. I don’t pry, but I make myself available, and try to gauge where the member is at mentally. I also try to talk to them over the next few days.
Good communication can help to keep our members healthy and keep them volunteering. Most departments can point out members who have left or ‘faded away’ from the department after a specific call. This is a shame, and something that can and should be avoided. Each department should have a policy on critical incidents, ways to deal with them, and a way for members to get help. Help doesn’t need to be ‘formal’, but could include EAP, CISD, and counseling programs.
Critical incidents do not have to be fatals, or mass casualty incidents. We can all point out the ‘big’ calls that are tough, but each call effects people differently. Everyone has ‘the one’ call that sticks with him or her, and it is different for each member. I know that the one that stuck with me, and many others, was a fire at a local pet store. While it may not sound like a critical incident, to those of us who were there, it was.
The movie “Bringing Out the Dead” showed a controversial look at a medic who was burnt out. The movie was based upon a FDNY medic’s novel, and was fact based. Some think the movie it is too dramatic and fake, and some realize it is all too real. One medic once told me that those who like the movie are the closest to being burnt out… I’m not sure if it is true or not, but it is a point to think about. If you haven’t seen the movie, you should, and think about it being one of your guys. When you watch it, you may even see some of your guys in the movie. It is the responsibility of each and every one of us to make sure our brethren never end up there.
Civilians would never be expected to deal with what we deal with, but at our core, we are no different. Just because we put a uniform or turnout gear on does not make us superheroes who can deal with everything. We all need to go out of our way to help our brethren, and realize we all need to support each other. I challenge each and everyone of you to reach out at the next call, and you will not only help others, you will help yourself.