All Discussions Tagged 'PTSD' - My Firefighter Nation
2024-03-29T15:22:50Z
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When Worst-Case Scenario Hits Home
tag:my.firefighternation.com,2019-01-28:889755:Topic:6673162
2019-01-28T18:24:38.476Z
FFN WebTeam
https://my.firefighternation.com/profile/WebTeam1
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I finally made the toughest call I’ve ever made</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">By Adam Biddle | <a href="https://www.firerescuemagazine.com/index.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">FireRescue Magazine</a><br></br></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Thank you for taking the time to…</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I finally made the toughest call I’ve ever made</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">By Adam Biddle | <a href="https://www.firerescuemagazine.com/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FireRescue Magazine</a><br/></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Thank you for taking the time to read this. I am an average Midwestern suburban firefighter writing about my own experiences with a very sorrowful event in my life in hopes of helping my fellow firefighters. I am not a trained clinician, nor do I have any sort of counseling background other than being a friendly ear at the firehouse. Whether experiencing personal loss yourself or helping a fellow firefighter deal with loss, understanding what grief is and how to deal with it can be critical. My attempt in the following paragraphs is to lay out a brief history of what happened in my family and then relay some personal discoveries I made with regards to grief and the grieving process. I truly hope that something contained herein can help.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">As firefighters, we plan for worst-case scenarios. We equip for them. We train for them. We are dedicated to preventing them and committed to mitigating them. For a lot of us, one-third of our lives is lived in strategically placed firehouses waiting for the call to intervene in them. For some of us, we wait at home, volunteering to place ourselves in the middle of them. It’s what you and I have sworn an oath to do. But there is no other calling we’d rather fulfill. We love what we do and see the eternal value in the service we perform. We work this job while leading our own lives, managing our own families, and trying to draw a distinction between our work life and our home life--trying to keep a healthy balance yet keeping the worst of what we see to ourselves. Many of us have been doing this long enough that we have learned to process what we see on duty and have a bit of a separation between work and home. When we get a call, we are prepared. The tones sound, and we respond--generally, with some kind of information of what emergency awaits. And when it’s over and our shift is complete, we go home and leave “worst-case scenario” at the firehouse.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">But how do we process “worst-case scenario” when it hits us at home? When we can’t go off duty and leave it at work? And in my case, as a father, my “worst case” was just that. The day my son died.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.firerescuemagazine.com/articles/print/volume-13/issue-12/departments/firefighter-safety-and-health/when-worst-case-scenario-hits-home.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>READ MORE</strong></a></span></p>
Firefighters and Trauma
tag:my.firefighternation.com,2018-12-11:889755:Topic:6663643
2018-12-11T13:43:29.365Z
FFN WebTeam
https://my.firefighternation.com/profile/WebTeam1
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Addressing post-traumatic stress disorder in the fire service</strong></span></p>
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<div class="headerimage clicktoenlargeimage image parbase"><small>An International Association of Fire Fighters’ report released in September 2016 foundd that firefighters exhibit levels of post-traumatic stress disorder rivaling…</small></div>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Addressing post-traumatic stress disorder in the fire service</strong></span></p>
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<div class="headerimage clicktoenlargeimage image parbase"><small>An International Association of Fire Fighters’ report released in September 2016 foundd that firefighters exhibit levels of post-traumatic stress disorder rivaling that of combat veterans. (Image by Q.)</small></div>
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<p class="layout-headline-deck"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>By Christine Pao and Jana Tran</b></span></p>
<p class="layout-body-dropcap"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Firefighting is one of the most dangerous and stressful occupations in the world. Day in and day out, firefighters place themselves in harm’s way to come to the rescue of those in need. First responders such as firefighters are exposed to trauma as a natural and unavoidable part of their work. For this reason, firefighters need to be incredibly resilient.</span></p>
<p class="layout-body"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">But what is it, exactly, that makes firefighters’ jobs so stressful? In many large fire departments, firefighters are not merely responding to fire calls; their job is much more complex and varied. Firefighters in large urban fire departments, such as the Houston (TX) Fire Department (HFD), are expected to answer emergency medical services calls as well. This means that putting out fires is not the only requirement of their job; often, firefighters must respond to motor vehicle accidents, burn victims, severely injured victims, and violent deaths. On the job, it’s very likely that firefighters will face a number of different traumatic situations.</span></p>
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<p class="layout-body"><a href="https://www.firerescuemagazine.com/articles/print/volume-12/issue-3/features/firefighters-and-trauma.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><span style="font-size: 12pt;">READ MORE</span></strong></a></p>
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<p class="layout-body"><strong><span style="font-size: 12pt;">What does your department do or offer to help you postively deal with post traumatic stress?</span></strong></p>
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Mental Health in the Fire Services
tag:my.firefighternation.com,2016-12-14:889755:Topic:6593410
2016-12-14T19:38:09.813Z
lutan1
https://my.firefighternation.com/profile/lutan1
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<p>There has been a significant review undertaken of Mental Health and cultural issues in the Metropolitan Fire Brigade (Melbourne, Australia).</p>
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<p>The report is quite damning in it's findings-</p>
<p id="U6210897807500sE"><strong>ALCOHOL</strong> and drug testing is needed to combat substance abuse as an “untold” number of firefighters “drink far too…</p>
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<p>There has been a significant review undertaken of Mental Health and cultural issues in the Metropolitan Fire Brigade (Melbourne, Australia).</p>
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<p>The report is quite damning in it's findings-</p>
<p id="U6210897807500sE"><strong>ALCOHOL</strong> and drug testing is needed to combat substance abuse as an “untold” number of firefighters “drink far too much”;</p>
<p id="U621089780750HEI"><strong>THE</strong> MFB’s WorkCover bill is $14.2 million, or $6455 per employee, more than double what Victoria Police spends;</p>
<p id="U621089780750tr"><strong>FIREFIGHTERS</strong> are covering up for their colleagues, including some who are responding to emergencies even though they are “allegedly unable to bend over and tie up their shoelaces”;</p>
<p id="U6210897807505FI"><strong>SLEEP</strong> deprivation caused by fulltime firefighters working secondary casual jobs has a similar effect on their faculties as drinking;</p>
<p id="U6210897807507OH"><strong>SUPPORT</strong> systems are under-resourced but do meet best practice standards. Firefighters are in denial about seeking help for mental health problems;</p>
<p id="U621089780750Jt"><strong>SOME</strong> firefighters are “ambivalent” or even “actively negative” towards emergency medical response jobs; and</p>
<p id="U621089780750fAF"><strong>THERE</strong> is an “extreme lack of workforce diversity” — less than 4 per cent of firefighters are women — and sexism and harassment is common.</p>
<p>The report said bitter industrial stoushes had sapped morale in the MFB, which was linked to “a risk for increased negative responses to operational instances”, potentially putting safety at risk.</p>
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<p>The report can be found at- <a href="http://media.heraldsun.com.au/files/0526_001.pdf">http://media.heraldsun.com.au/files/0526_001.pdf</a></p>
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<p>How does your department compare?</p>
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Japan earthquake
tag:my.firefighternation.com,2011-06-20:889755:Topic:5817446
2011-06-20T11:14:00.175Z
John L. Odom
https://my.firefighternation.com/profile/JohnLOdom
See This:<div><br/></div>
<div><a href="http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T110619002532.htm">http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T110619002532.htm</a></div>
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<div>I understand a lot of those men are really hurting.</div>
See This:<div><br/></div>
<div><a href="http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T110619002532.htm">http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T110619002532.htm</a></div>
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<div>I understand a lot of those men are really hurting.</div>
Maine First Responders Voice Oppostion to PTSD Limitation Bill
tag:my.firefighternation.com,2011-04-15:889755:Topic:5628691
2011-04-15T16:42:40.748Z
FFN WebTeam
https://my.firefighternation.com/profile/WebTeam1
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<strong>REBEKAH METZLER</strong><br />
Kennebec Journal<br />
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AUGUSTA -- Firefighters, police officers and other first responders turned out for a public hearing Wednesday to oppose a bill that would curb eligibility for permanent coverage for mental illnesses under Maine workers' compensation law.<br />
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State Rep. Kerri Prescott, R-Topsham, who proposed L.D. 1065, said it is needed to reduce litigation and avoid "unreliable" workers'…
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<strong>REBEKAH METZLER</strong><br />
Kennebec Journal<br />
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AUGUSTA -- Firefighters, police officers and other first responders turned out for a public hearing Wednesday to oppose a bill that would curb eligibility for permanent coverage for mental illnesses under Maine workers' compensation law.<br />
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State Rep. Kerri Prescott, R-Topsham, who proposed L.D. 1065, said it is needed to reduce litigation and avoid "unreliable" workers' compensation claims.<br />
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The measure, which came before the Legislature's Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development Committee, was supported by the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, the Workers' Compensation Coordinating Council and the Maine Council of Self-Insureds.<br />
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"What we have seen in the field is, in the last several years, a significant increase in claims that physical injuries have psychiatric components to them, such as depression because of disability, economic factors, pain and so forth," said Kevin Gillis, executive director of the Workers' Compensation Coordinating Council and the Maine Council of Self-Insureds.<br />
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The determination of "permanent impairment" comes when injured workers have used up their benefits, which last 10 years.<br />
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Many firefighters and police officers testified against the bill, saying many in their field have suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and other serious emotional disabilities for just doing their jobs.<br />
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William Fournier, an Auburn police officer, supervised the crime scene when Angela Palmer, a 4-year-old girl, was killed in an oven in 1984. He said the incident still haunts him.<br />
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"One particular incident, (my wife) heard a commotion in the dining room, which was me screaming. I had my service revolver loaded, at my head, and the hammer was cocked," he said. "I have no recollection of this whatsoever."<br />
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Fournier said he was denied workers' compensation by the city of Auburn.<br />
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"I did my job; I did it right. I implore you people, as this committee, to seriously think about this," he said. "I think your first responders deserve better."<br />
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Paul Sighinolfi, executive director of the Workers' Compensation Board, said the panel voted unanimously to oppose Prescott's bill.<br />
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"Our workers' compensation act recognizes emotional injury; if you say that you can't get (permanent impairment) for an emotional injury, what you are essentially saying is we're going to carve out that group of injuries and say those people can't get benefits to which all others may be eligible to get," he said. "We think that's simply unfair."<br />
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Copyright 2011 ProQuest Information and Learning<br />
All Rights Reserved<br />
Copyright 2011 Kennebec Journal<br />
April 14, 2011<br />
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PTSD - Any Effective Lay Interventions?
tag:my.firefighternation.com,2009-12-07:889755:Topic:4413308
2009-12-07T17:34:47.453Z
Old Fireguy
https://my.firefighternation.com/profile/BartCross
This morning I ran into the wife of a long-time friend whom I haven't seen in a while. We have been friends for more than 20 years and he was my partner when we were on the rescue. Now he has started shutting himself off from others, is drinking and is seeing "dead people" and having nightmares. Classic PTSD.<br />
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It stems from a couple of calls about 12 years ago. In the first one, he worked a man pinned below a rolled truck. The man had rolled the truck the night before and was pinned underneath…
This morning I ran into the wife of a long-time friend whom I haven't seen in a while. We have been friends for more than 20 years and he was my partner when we were on the rescue. Now he has started shutting himself off from others, is drinking and is seeing "dead people" and having nightmares. Classic PTSD.<br />
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It stems from a couple of calls about 12 years ago. In the first one, he worked a man pinned below a rolled truck. The man had rolled the truck the night before and was pinned underneath all night. He was conscious and lucid when we arrived on scene. Took an hour to rig the lines to lift the truck and my partner was attending the pt during that time. As expected, when the truck was finally lifted, the guy cored. We got him back a couple of times en route to the helicopter, and they got him back a few times during the flight, but in the end he passed. A few months later, we lost a 17 year old girl in a freak alcohol-involved MVA. She wasn't driving and hadn't been drinking.<br />
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Both incidents were followed by CIS debriefs but my buddy is one of those who will not open-up to anyone, much less a group. I kept a careful eye on him over the years but, with a few slips, I thought he was coping pretty well. Now I know he wasn't and isn't. Does anybody know of effective interventions for PTSD that can be implemented by a lay person?
Allostatic Load Test
tag:my.firefighternation.com,2009-07-05:889755:Topic:4158963
2009-07-05T23:41:03.500Z
International 1582 Foundation
https://my.firefighternation.com/profile/International1582Foundation
Allostatic Load refers to the physiological costs of chronic exposure to many organ systems to stress overload. It is used to explain how frequent activation of the body's stress response, an essential tool for managing acute threats, can in fact damage organ systems in the long run. To measure this accumulative wear and tear, a composite index of specific biomarker/metrics of cumulative strain on organ systems would be tested using blood samples. We have identified several of these…
Allostatic Load refers to the physiological costs of chronic exposure to many organ systems to stress overload. It is used to explain how frequent activation of the body's stress response, an essential tool for managing acute threats, can in fact damage organ systems in the long run. To measure this accumulative wear and tear, a composite index of specific biomarker/metrics of cumulative strain on organ systems would be tested using blood samples. We have identified several of these biomarkers/metric that can measure health trajectory. In addition to the annual physicals, as an adjunct, would you take the test?