Responder Stress Survey

I am looking to write an article on responder stress. Even though I have my own experiences and perspective, I would like to here from you. I have a list of questions. Feel free to answer them and add anything you may find pertinent. You don't have to leave a name but if you want, you can. I will not use names or locations in the article unless I have your permission. I am especially interested in knowing if you used the help of anEAP, Chaplain, CISM Team or any other health care professional. I would also appreciate if you can pass this along. My deepest thanks in advance...Ray

1) Did your duties ever stress you out?

2) How did/do you handle the stresses of the job?

3) Does your department/union have a stress program?

4) Have you ever had a formal presentation on stress? If so is it ongoing? How often?

5) Do you have any addiction problems due to stress?

6)Have you ever sought help due to stress?

7) How has your job stress affected your family/personal relations?

8) Have you been diagnosed with PTSD?

9) Have you sought help?

10) If you sought help was it through an EAP, Chaplain or other health care professional?

11) Was the help that you sought effective? Did it address your problems?

12) What is the pervasive, official and unofficial, attitude toward the stresses of the job within your organization?

PTSD

PTSD is a job hazard for emergency responders. It can kill. Responders and medical personnel see more than any human should. We are not made of Kevlar. Sometimes the wounds go very deep. I have seen the effects of stress in my job as a firefighter. It is sad to see a collegue go down the tubes. Awarenes of how stress affects a responder, be it police, firefighter, EMT or even soldier, is well known. Recognition of this stress, especially if you are a boss or loved one can mean, at the very least, saving of a career, or at the most the saving of a life. Please read the following story of Pfc. Joseph Dwyer and then go to the websites suggested at the end of the article to learn more about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.


Army Pfc. Dwyer was found dead in his North Carolina home, apparently of an overdose. He gained the attention of the world through a photograph of him carrying an injured Iraqi boy to safety amidst the flying bullets of a firefight. The image, taken in March of 2003 by Warren Zinn of the Army Times, was very poignant. A man risking his own life for an unknown innocent. A shining example of American heroism. It reminded me of police and firefighters. One thing we seem to forget is under that tough exterior, in Dwyer's case, covered in body armor, was a man with emotions and feelings. Soldiers, like there brethren police and firefighters, sometimes have difficulty adjusting to the reality of normal life. Alcohol and drug abuse, divorce, bizarre behavior and sometimes, as in Dwyer's case suicide. These are all symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Read more...