
We are honored to serve in our roles. The emergency services industry is uniquely rewarding. While it offers numerous benefits, we also encounter significant challenges as responders. A primary challenge is the exposure to traumatic events and the subsequent emotional processing. Many agencies are committed to their CISM teams or CISD policies. While CISM and CISD are essential for addressing post-traumatic events, they don't focus on preventive mental health measures. Emphasizing proactivity and prevention through peer support is crucial. Recently, we've seen the positive impact of professional mental health assistance in emergency services, though education is still in its early stages. Those who spend time in emergency services inevitably experience stress, mental fatigue, depression, sleep deprivation, anxiety, and more. These are difficult issues to overcome, but implementing preventive measures builds the resilience needed to do so. The greatest challenge is overcoming the stigma associated with addressing these issues. This stigma must be the first aspect of mental health and wellness your organization tackles proactively.
The Stigma Monster, as I call it, is a social adversary that preys on the emotional needs of our people. It suppresses their willingness to voice concerns, issues, or stress, preventing healing. It instills fear of being perceived as weak, unfit, or a liability. This has led many first responders to prematurely end their careers or lives. The Stigma Monster thrives on our reluctance to care for each other, but caring is exactly how we defeat it.
So, where do we begin?
Destroy the world that it hides in.
Unfortunately, the stigmas that I'm referring to can sometimes easily live in the cultures of our own organizations. A change in the culture of an organization can be challenging and often requires dedication from those at the top, the middle, and the bottom of it. Influential leaders, those with and without the rank, set the tone for the change. Take a stand against the idea that we need to be emotionless robots incapable of feeling fear, stress, grief and helplessness in order to be good at our jobs. Be vocal and bring this topic of conversation to your peers, leadership and those that you are charged with taking care of. Use conversation to tear down the walls of unspoken truths with a goal of leaving no dark corner of your organization for a stigma to hide out in. Cultural changes will usually start off small and grow as more individuals begin to relate with the message of those making the change. There will always be antagonists in the beginning of any cultural change. However, the consistency and tenacity of those leading the change will silence their influence.
Hunt it as a pack and go for the throat.
Eliminating this stigma from your organizational culture requires collective effort. It cannot be effectively tackled by just one person or a small group. Elevating the discussion of mental health and wellness to the same level as tactics, new equipment, or dinner plans demands commitment from everyone. Cultural change must be embraced at all levels. These conversations should be integral to staff meetings, shift musters, after-action evaluations, gym time, and even shift dinners. Instill the belief that it's okay not to be okay and that self-care is essential, as if it were an unbreakable suit of armor. Most importantly, ensure that your people know their peers and leaders will support them. When I say, “go for the throat,” I mean it. Just like a pride of lions takes down their prey together, don't wait for the issue to come to you. Identify where the stigma thrives in your organization's culture and eliminate it swiftly. Once the stigma of fear and embarrassment around mental health and wellness is removed, your people will become more comfortable improving their own well-being.
Confront the monster in the room.
Stigmas won't disappear without a battle. Holding each other accountable for our actions in a mutually respectful manner ensures they don't infiltrate your culture. I am confident in the unspoken code of ethics that thrives in successful teams. High on that list is to "Praise in public and correct in private." Choose your engagements wisely, but never let stigma go unchallenged when it appears. Stand with your peers and make it clear that ongoing efforts toward maintaining good mental health and wellness are not only encouraged in your organization but required. Ensure new members understand this crucial fact from their very first day.
Emphasizing the human attribute of caring for one another.
By prioritizing the care and concern for our people over the social-emotional fears imposed by stigmas within our organizational cultures, we eliminate the problem. Through proactive mental health initiatives like resilience training, regular stress and well-being assessments, and both clinical and non-clinical support services, we empower emergency service personnel to acquire the skills and resources necessary to recognize, understand, and tackle the stressful challenges inherent in our profession. We must prioritize caring for each other above the stigmas.
This might seem like a daunting task, but it doesn't have to be! If you've made it to this point in the article, you're clearly passionate about the issue. Let me leave you with one exciting piece of advice: get organized! Build a team that's eager to tackle these major challenges in our small emergency services world. Create an official peer support group and start achieving that goal, one step at a time. Reach out to us at Battalion 1 Consultants, and let's have an inspiring conversation about this and more.

Article by Andrew Ruiz, Firefighter Paramedic
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