News

U.S. SAR TASK FORCE PRESENTED WITH CERTIFICATE OF APPRECIATION FOR TRAINING EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM FOR UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT

"How much can we as
emergency responders tolerate?"
_________________
By: Jerry Smith, Managing Editor

Consider the emotional forces upon us as we find members of our own family in the carnage. Would this create an incomprehensible event for anyone to keep his or her emotions intact, and under control? Do you believe an incident of this magnitude is just too personal for any human being to endure?

One can only imagine the disarming of one's emotional armor this horrendous incident would suddenly present to first responders. That protective barrier that surrounds our emotional well being; an invisible shield that allows us to perform even under the most devastating of circumstances.

Is it possible that some of us have more adaptable exteriors allowing us to block out or ignore the more serious traumatic attachments?

What was the mounting emotional pressure that surely overwhelmed Captain Steve Roe?

As he approached the crash scene did he recognize the vehicle as belonging to his family?

One would think/believe that no loved one would remain functional at the scene of an incident involving mortally injured family members.

How much can we as emergency responders tolerate before we collapse from conscious stress overload or succumb to the delayed affects of sub-conscious critical incident stress syndrome?

If we understood the conflict that empowers both the conscious and subconscious minds, we might reach a better understanding of how we as individuals manage the affects of such traumatic emotional stress.

I don't pretend to be a mental health expert. However, I do understand the power of my subconscious mind and how unruly it can become when I experience anxiety and uneasiness. I do see the adrenalin kicking in for Steve to save his one surviving child.

We use our conscious mind when we knowingly think or do something.

Something like the working of our heart is not under conscious control. It is the power of the sub-conscious mind that makes our heart beat about 72 times per minute regularly for up to 100 years.

The sub-conscious mind is much more powerful than the conscious mind. But it is not under our direct control, it's more or less out of control.

It functions on the basis of information stored in it. It stores all kinds of information since the day the child is born. It even stores information that you are not consciously aware of. The sub-conscious contains all of the emotional and cognitive experience of a lifetime, whether pleasurable, ordinary or traumatic. http://www.trans4mind.u-net.com/transform2.2.htm

Experts tell us: "Stress is the general response of our bodies to any unusual demand made on it whether it be pleasant or unpleasant, emotional or physical. Damaging stress occurs when the challenges experienced become too much for that person at that time."

One has to believe Captain Roe became an immediate victim of stress overload. A horrible event that killed all but one child in his family.

Reminds me of that nagging feeling of anxiety that overcomes our senses when something out of the ordinary comes upon us. It might an emergency incident where suddenly we're confronting fear, a threatening situation that causes that fight or flight response to kick in.

There isn't an emergency responder who hasn't experienced anxiety, the uncertainty of a firefighter operating in unstable atmospheres, or a paramedic treating a struggling, bleeding drug addict. That police officer involved in a domestic dispute that turns violent. For an active career that sees much activity on the streets of emergency response, it all adds up, and should not be under estimated as a contagious work related illness/disease that plays favorites or knows no boundaries.

How do we know when we are entering overload? Experts call it that breaking point when collapse may be imminent. You feel much anxiety, depressed, your muscles may be tied in knots, a throbbing headache.

You know the feeling we've all been there a time or two. However, it's usually only a temporary bout with accumulated stress of some kind.

They tell us if untreated, the adverse affects of too much stress could transform into harmful changes in our behavior and physical health, and that's when the red flags should be raised.

You as a supervisor should be attentive to your crew and their behavior after a tough incident. As experienced emergency responders we know our crews operate with varying individual limits to the pressures and workloads they experience. It's not that difficult to spot someone in crisis so we are told by the experts as you are about to read and I quote.

RECOGNIZING SYMPTOMS: "Critical incidents may produce a wide range of stress symptoms, which may appear immediately at the scene, a few hours later or within days of the incident. Stress symptoms usually occur in four different categories: Cognitive (thinking), Physical (body), Emotional (feelings) and Behavioral (actions). The more symptoms experienced, the more powerful the stress reaction. The longer the symptoms persist, the more potential there is for lasting harm. The following is only a sample of stress symptoms that can show up after a critical incident."

Cognitive: "Poor concentration, poor attention span, slowed problem solving, memory problems, difficulty making decisions and difficulties with calculations. Emotional: Guilt, depression, loss of emotional control, grief, anxiety, fear, feeling lost and feeling overwhelmed."

Physical: "Muscle tremors, gastro-intestinal distress, headaches, chest pain, difficulty breathing and elevated blood pressure."

Behavioral: "Excessive silence, unusual behaviors, withdrawal from contact, sleep disturbances, changes in eating habits and changes in work habits."
Sources: http://www.ussartf.org/cism_team.htm

(United States Search and Rescue Task Force)

If you are helping someone who has experienced critical incident stress, the ICISF suggests doing the following until further help can be obtained:

"Limit exposure to sights, sounds and odors - Provide an immediate rest break of at least 15 minutes - Have a friend stay with the distressed person - Provide fluids, non-alcoholic and non-caffeinated - Provide foods low in salt, sugar and fat - Allow the person to talk about the experience - Do not rush the person to return to work - Protect the person from bystanders and the media - Reassure the person that the stress experience is normal - Most people recover very well from stress - Show appreciation for the person's work - Do nothing to embarrass the person - Help the person make decisions."

God bless you Steve Roe, your public safety brothers and sisters around the world grieve with you and may you find some comfort in the difficult days ahead.

GOD BLESS AMERICA

Jerry Smith, a former Los Angeles City Fire Captain and California Governor's Office of Emergency Services Fire & Rescue Division Assistant Chief, retired from active service in 1987. After 40 years, he is still active in fire-rescue service affairs.

Jerry is also the WebBoard Administrator for the Emergency Grapevine, an "all-risk" message forum for emergency response and recovery personnel around the world. A public safety web site established in August 1997.

Recently, Jerry Smith was listed as a staff writer for the award winning Los Angeles Firefighter. Official publication of United Firefighters of Los Angeles City - Local 112, IAFF, AFL-CIO-CLC.

We Shall
Not Forget
Those That Died
September 11, 2001