Stay Strong

EMS professionals are called to help people at some of the most difficult moments in their lives. Hear how these first responders maintain their mental wellness in the face of what they see and hear on a daily basis. Watch the Video here

By Russell Myers, D.Min, BCC Critical incident and cumulative stress are an everyday reality for paramedics, EMTs and dispatchers. Concerns about the mental health and potential suicide risk of our co-workers challenge us as an industry to be intentional about providing appropriate, professional support. EMS Week is an opportunity to step back, recognize and care

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BSI! Scene safe!

How often do we repeat that mantra during clinical simulation scenarios? In my experience, it’s heard from crews during nearly all of my testing days with EMS providers. In getting to the meat of clinical practice, we gloss over the fact that a scene indeed might not be safe.

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For those who are just entering the wonderful world of EMS, scene safety is a top priority during the course of a career. For us “old-timers,” scene safety can lengthen our careers and help us make it to retirement.

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It seems like every day we read about another EMS practitioner who’s been hurt or killed in the line of duty. One day it’s an EMT who’s been struck by a passing car while working a highway crash; another day, a paramedic is assaulted while trying to help care for a sick child; and all too often, a first responder dies from a heart attack following a seemingly routine call. Our safety, and the safety of those with whom we work, is not automatic. We need to take action ourselves to make sure we go home at the end of the shift.

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It was a couple of months after my wife left me that I asked a trusted doctor friend a hypothetical question.

“Jalal,” I asked, ”if you had a patient who told you he worked all the time, and slept 19 hours a day on his days off, and barely got out of bed until it was time to go back to work, and had no appetite and felt tired all the time, what would you say was wrong with him?”

“I’d tell that patient that he was clinically depressed,” he answered soberly, “and tell him he needed to get help, right the heck now.”

“Crap,” I sighed. “I had a feeling that’s what you were going to say.”

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As EMS chiefs we are responsible for planning for and ensuring the needs of our crews are met during regular operations, as well as unique incidents or long-duration operations. For my service, the ongoing events in Ferguson, Mo. pushed and stressed our leadership team.

As we determine our response plan, first and foremost is the importance of keeping crews safe. We need to ensure our crews go home at the end of their shift. Having to make a visit to an employee’s home to deliver bad news is not on my things to do list.

As we looked at the lessons learned from the events in August 2014 and set our plan going forward, it was quickly noticed my leadership team was feeling stressed and a lesson on stress management was needed. Let’s reflect on how to manage the stress we face every day.

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You know that bag of potato chips isn’t a healthy choice. But it’s three o’clock in the afternoon and you haven’t had anything substantial to eat since the donut you ate this morning with your fifth cup of coffee.

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As paramedics and EMTs, you’ve likely seen your share of incidents associated with alcohol abuse and excessive consumption. Maybe it’s an accident at the hands of a drunk driver, or maybe it’s responding to a victim of alcohol poisoning. But sometimes it’s EMS personnel who are at risk.

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While widely reported studies suggest that moderate drinking (one drink a day for women, two for men) can be good for your heart, no one ever recommends moderate smoking. With heart disease, cancer and stroke the three leading causes of death for Americans, it’s important to consider that the CDC names tobacco, poor diet and alcohol as primary causes of those deaths. If you thought they were helping you manage stress, think again.

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There’s no denying that as a paramedic or EMT you are exposed to a lot of dreadfully sad events. But there is a difference between being sad because of something you saw or heard and being depressed for no apparent reason at all. Being sad is a normal reaction when something upsetting has happened, such as a loved one dying. However, when after several months you are unable to get out of bed in the morning, you could be depressed.

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Exercise is important to a healthy lifestyle. And according to the American Heart Association, 65% of adults aren’t getting nearly enough since that’s the percentage of us who are classified as obese or overweight. In general, people are simply less active because of technology and better mass transportation. Physically active jobs now make up only about 25% of the workforce, 50% less than in 1950.

Even in the EMS field you’ve likely noticed technology has taken some of the physical strain out of the tasks you perform. Yet, it’s critical to stay in shape.