I am in the process of renewing my National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) license. I can't believe it has been two years already. It feels like I was in class just yesterday. Becoming an EMT has been a goal of mine since I first became a trained first responder in 2005. And I'm already renewing the license.
Listening to the news, I'm reminded of what I haven't seen while in the back of the ambulance. I haven't been on any major trauma calls, no MVC, or farm accident. I actually hope that I can go another license period without having to treat a major trauma patient, because that means my neighbors and friends and family are safe. I don't know what I would have done had I been on a rig in Newtown, on Friday. I am guessing that like the men and women there, I would do what I was trained to do. And as I'm sure many of them have done, hold my tears back until I was back at the station.
The folks who are on the front line of responding to a 911 call, the police, fire, and those of us in Emergency Medical Services will bear the scars of what happened as surely as the families of those lost. We all have calls that stay with us. To this day, I can tell you every detail of a search that ended up being a recovery, and the every detail of the first fatal accident I responded to. My sister-in-law keeps telling me that it takes a very special person to be an EMT. These things stay with you, and either hold you back or make you better at your job.
Here is a really good synopsis of why critical stress debriefing is VITAL for all first responders, no matter the depth of the tragedy.
To learn about the different types of debriefs, click here
And, while being far from a mental health professional, I think in the wake of tragedy that touches each and everyone of us, whether we lost friends, family, or hope that innocence is still safe in America, a critical stress debriefing would benefit each and every one of us, that and a hug.
No comments:
Post a Comment