Dealing with Psychological Challenges due to Loss of Life HLS-429 Homeland Security Response and Recovery Candace Williams

March 3, 2013 Thomas Edison State College

First Responders have a tough job and part of that job involves dealing with tragedy and intense situations on a daily basis. Every response plan that goes into effect will have an area in it that addresses the psychological affect on first responders. This will advise first responders with instructions and guidelines on how to handle stress and psychological challenges they may face on their job. The first thing that first responders will need to keep in mind is the fact that trauma directly affects those who are impacted and also impacts those who are working to help in the recovery efforts. When entering this line of work it is important to keep in mind that your feelings will play a big part of your job. When a first responder responds to a situation and there is a significant loss of life this can be a very emotional and critical time for the victims as well as the first responders who witness it. Dealing with loss of life of any kind is an overwhelming experience for anyone close to the area. Its important to take note of ones feelings and speak out to others about those emotions. First responders immerse themselves in the chaos and problems of others live every day on the job. By doing this, they put themselves at risk of being in traumatic situations. There are two basic categories of harmful psychological impacts that can occur to a first responder. These are vicarious traumatization and compassion fatigue. Vicarious traumatization refers to the tendency of helpers to develop symptoms similar to those with whom they are working (IBM, 2008). Workers are put at risk when they see horrific scenes, hear stories and work in traumatic events. By the victims relaying their feelings and what they are experiencing onto the first responder, they are pulling that person into the feeling with them. The first responder starts imagining the images of what they hear and this causes stress to develop on the worker.

Compassion fatigue has a lot to do with a persons empathy level. When a person experiences empathy for a person they are putting themselves in that persons shoes. They are relating and wanting to help the person, who sometimes is suffering or has died. This will end up taking an emotional and physical toll on the first responder and can leave them unable to feel empathy and care for anyone anymore. These incidents that cause these strong emotions and/or physical reactions are titled critical incidents. And they have the potential to interfere with a responders ability to help on scene and can also affect them later in either their personal or work lives. It is believed that 85% of emergency responders experience symptoms of critical incident stress which may include impaired job performance, difficulty concentrating, short-term memory loss, tardiness, loss of interest in work and/or pleasurable activities, loss of motivation, absenteeism, and physical health problems (Fay, Kamena, Bushco, & Nagle, 2001). First responders are usually reluctant or refuse to seek out help. This is dangerous for their lives as well as the lives of those that they are working to help. First responders must understand how to seek out treatment and how to address the challenges that they face during disasters. There are many ways for first responders to deal with the stresses and problems they face emotionally and physically. The first thing that must be done is to recognize that this is a real thing that happens to many first responders. It is important to understand that having problems dealing with situations like significant loss of life does not mean that they are unable to do the job. It only means that they need to take precautions to make sure that they are not defeated by these feelings.

There are three main things that should be done to ensure that the worker is taking care of him or herself and staying work ready. These three things are: 1. Awareness Stay aware of feelings and thoughts about situations. Keep a journal to document feelings and how to deal with them. Pay attention to any personal needs that might arise and deal with them without feeling guilty. 2. Balance Find other things to do besides work. Have friends and hobbies that do not pertain to work. Make sure that there is not too much time spent working with victims and then not taking care of oneself. Get enough sleep every night. Find relaxing things to do, such as yoga or exercise. Eat and stay healthy. 3. Connection Attend and participate in social events as much as possible. Find things that are enjoyable and spend time doing them. Try not to spend too much time alone. Be surrounded with family and friends. Stay positive. (IBM, 2008) Being a first responder is a tough job, and it takes a toll on the worker physically and mentally. It is important to be able to recognize when one is too involved with a case and get help as needed. Getting help isnt a sign of weakness, but a show of strength. Any changes in mood, feelings, or physically being drained can be a sign of an underlying problem, especially if one has recently worked on a disaster that dealt with a significant loss of life. First responders must take care of themselves so they will be able to care for those who are in need.

REFERENCES

Fay, J., Kamena, M., Bushco, A., & Nagle, D. (2001). Emergency Responder Exhaustion Syndrome. Retrieved March 1, 2013, from www.wcpr2001.org/news/ER_Exhaustion_Syndrome.pdf IBM. (2008). Psychological Support for Survivors of Disaster. Retrieved March 01, 2013, from IBM: https://www.ocps.net/.../IBM_Trauma_Guide-Adults_Nov08%