First Responder Wellness

Emergency Service Provider Wellness Commission

olh_Sharon.Muellers — Thu, 02 Dec 2021 16:58:26 +0000

Emergency Service Provider Wellness Commission

The Emergency Service Provider Wellness Commission was established in May 2021 when Governor Scott signed S.42 into law as Act 37. The main focus of the Commission is to identify and make available pre-incident behavioral health training and post-incident support/aid to all of Vermont’s emergency service providers. This includes full access to these programs for all responders, whether they are from a large city department or a small rural volunteer organization.

The 24-person Wellness Commission has representation from many related disciplines and is supported by the Vermont Department of Health. The focus of the Wellness Commission's work, which began in September 2021, is to create a report that identifies the gaps in service and systems of care throughout Vermont’s emergency responder community and to recommend how peer support services and qualified clinician services can be delivered statewide.

The Commission will also identify any needs to increase the number of qualified clinicians. Equally important is the need to create an education plan for emergency service providers, state, and local governments regarding best practices, available resources, and strategies for the prevention and intervention of the effects of trauma experienced by emergency service personnel.

This page will be updated with meeting minutes and reports as they become available.

Meeting Minutes

date of meeting	minutes	additional documents (if any)
May 17, 2022	ESP Wellness Commission 5.17.2022
April 11, 2022	ESP Wellness Commission 4.11.2022 Approved Minutes
January 26, 2022	ESP Wellness Commission 01.26.2022 Approved Minutes
January 4, 2022	ESP Wellness Commission 1.4.2022 Approved Minutes
November 17, 2021	ESP Wellness Commission 11.17.2021 Approved Minutes
October 27, 2021	ESP Wellness Commission 10.27.2021 Approved Minutes
September 22, 2021	ESP Wellness Commission 9.22.2021 Meeting Notes

olh_Sharon.Muellers Thu, 12/02/2021 - 11:58

Combatting Stigma

olh_Sharon.Muellers — Fri, 19 Feb 2021 20:45:47 +0000

Combatting Stigma

Addressing stigma in first response is a process.

As a group, we are defined by our responsibilities to others. We are healers and protectors. The expectation of stoicism in the face of adversity can be a difficult one to shake. Change is most effective when implemented at multiple levels. This should include both the individual level and organizational policy change, with a focus on fact-based education to reduce misconceptions of people with mental illness.

A focus on positive psychology at a departmental level can be a great tool for addressing the stigma around mental health care. Positive psychology advocates involvement both when people are struggling and also when they are thriving. Promoting wellness and happiness is just as important as reducing anxiety and depression.

olh_Sharon.Muellers Fri, 02/19/2021 - 15:45

Compassion Fatigue and Burnout

olh_Sharon.Muellers — Fri, 19 Feb 2021 20:45:08 +0000

Compassion Fatigue and Burnout

When you spend so much of your time focusing on the wellbeing of others, it can feel as though their trauma becomes your trauma, in something known as secondary traumatic stress.

The populations we work with often have systematic barriers to accessing care and maintaining their own wellbeing. It can feel as though we are trying to plug a small hole in a sinking boat when our actions seem to have no lasting impact. This feeling of helplessness and anger at the seeming futility of your actions is called burnout.

These two factors together combine in compassion fatigue, a group of symptoms typically characterized by a reduced capacity for empathy towards those you serve. Compassion fatigue is a type of work-related stress common in the caring and protective professions.

Symptoms of Burnout	Symptoms of secondary traumatic stress
Irritability Reduced feelings of success Indifference or disconnection Cynicism Depression	Excessive worry about yourself, loved ones, or colleagues Wariness of every situation, expecting a traumatic outcome on every call Increased startle response Avoiding things that remind you of the stressor Intrusive thoughts

olh_Sharon.Muellers Fri, 02/19/2021 - 15:45

Building Resiliency

olh_Sharon.Muellers — Fri, 19 Feb 2021 20:44:20 +0000

Building Resiliency

What is resiliency?

Resiliency is the ability to recover and adapt well from stressful events. Experts view it as a skill that you can practice and develop, rather than an innate trait. Resilience doesn’t mean that you won’t experience adverse events and stress in your life, but it gives you the skills to effectively cope with trauma. Resiliency is an important teaching of positive psychology. You can build resilience by practicing mindfulness, getting better sleep, facilitating connections, and being active.

Positive psychology... [focuses] on strengths as well as weaknesses, on building the best things in life as well as repairing the worst. It asserts that human goodness and excellence is just as authentic as distress and disorder, that life is more than the undoing of problems.

olh_Sharon.Muellers Fri, 02/19/2021 - 15:44

After a Bad Call

olh_Sharon.Muellers — Fri, 19 Feb 2021 20:43:35 +0000

After a Bad Call

Every day, we see the worst day of someone’s life.

First responders are resilient people, but we all respond to a few bad calls. What determines a bad call varies by situation. Sometimes, you may not be able to put your finger on why a specific call gets to you. Your bad call may not be the same as your partner’s. It could be something that doesn’t even register in their mind. Trauma is unique to each individual and sometimes there aren’t logical reasons you can pinpoint why one call might bother you. It could be that the patient was the same age as your child. It could be that the scene smelled like your mother’s house. These triggers are personal and sometimes not easily explained.

Here, we offer ways to process after a bad call, explain some of the psychology behind why particular calls can get to us, and provide information about post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in first responders.

olh_Sharon.Muellers Fri, 02/19/2021 - 15:43

Get Help

olh_Sharon.Muellers — Fri, 19 Feb 2021 20:42:52 +0000

Get Help

Most experts estimate at least 25% of first responders have ever had thoughts of suicide or that life was not worth living.

Some estimates place this number even higher, up to 30% in 911 dispatchers and up to 47% in firefighters. If this is you, you are not alone. These thoughts are not uncommon, and they are not insurmountable. We are able to recover from these feelings and lead meaningful careers and lives.

Click the Button beside each resource to learn more on their website, and click the phone number to call or text from a mobile device.

EAPFirst 1-855-EAP-1NOW
EAPFirst is a public, Vermont-based program whose mission is to care for the well-being of Vermont’s First Responders by providing expert trauma-informed clinical support, individual counseling and assistance in building a skilled peer network. The program is a partnership between the Invest EAP Centers for Wellbeing and the Vermont League of Cities and Towns. Available 24/7.

Safe Call Now 206-459-3020
A confidential, comprehensive, 24-hour crisis referral service for all public safety employees, all emergency services personnel and their family members nationwide.

Disaster Distress Helpline 1-800-985-5590 or text TalkWithUs to 66746
The Disaster Distress Helpline is a 24/7, 365-day-a-year, national hotline dedicated to providing immediate crisis counseling for people who are experiencing emotional distress related to any natural or human-caused disaster.

Copline 1-800-COPLINE
A free, 24/7, completely confidential helpline for officers and their families. On the other end of each phone call is a vetted retired police officer to ensure your voice is not only heard but understood.

Fire/EMS Helpline 1-888-731-FIRE
The Fire/EMS Helpline is available to all firefighters, EMS providers, and their families for assistance relating to addiction concerns.

988 suicide and crisis lifeLine dial 988
The Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals in the United States.

Crisis Text Line Text VT to 741741
The 24-hour Crisis Text Line provides round-the-clock support seven days a week by providing access to the counselors via text messaging. Within five minutes, a return text will be sent, followed by a response from a trained crisis counselor.

olh_Sharon.Muellers Fri, 02/19/2021 - 15:42