Butte-Glenn Critical Incident Stress Management Team

 

Serving Police • Fire • EMS Personnel

STRESS PRESS Newsletter

Volume 5, Issue 02 ~~~~ February, 2002

Editor's Notes:

I was at an MCI training at the Fleetwood bldg on 2/23 along with some other members of our team and the following came to mind. Definitions of a Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) are when the number of injured exceed the number of service personnel on hand, exceeding 1st alarm capabilities.
A medical emergency beyond a simple medical incident with 3-5 or more victims.
The types of MCI include Trauma, Medical and HazMat.
As a CISM team member setting up a debriefing, it is important to know the type of incident and if the incident was divided into divisions. More than one debriefing, held simultaneously, might be advisable to focus on the specific group (division).An example of this was the Butte Meadows Helicopter and vehicle incident. There were two different incidents and different concerns. Even if there is more than one debriefing, it is good to have a cross section of the services involved at each debriefing, if appropriate.
Standard CISM debriefing basics apply to all types of incidents so we can be as prepared as possible as well as taking care of ourselves after the debriefing is over.
I hope you liked the "Open Letter". Enjoy health and happiness.
Gene

Open Letter

Dear God,
So far today I've done all right. I haven't gossiped, haven't lost my temper, Haven't been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish or over-indulgent. I'm really glad about that.
But in a few minutes, God, I'm going to get out of bed, and from then on I'm probably going to need a lot of help.
Thank you, God. Have a lovely day.

Mass Causality Incidents (MCI) Do Happen

In the realm of Emergency Services few responses appear to bring about an increase in stress levels as does an MCI.
In the event of any Emergency Services Member being lost,in combination with an MCI, recognizable stress levels will be heightened; levels that no one wishes to experience.
It appears that we all, through training, become professional in dealing with the loss of life of Mr. and Mrs. Public and family. This same training can only attempt to prepare us for the loss of one of our own.
Mass Causality Incidents do happen, and the loss of Emergency Personal is not without possibility. In recent MCI training higher than normal levels of stress were noted. MCI often include:

1) Incidents involving multiple tasks
a) Rescue
b) Extrication
c) Fire
d) Loss of Life
2) Limited Responding Resources
3) Victims outnumber emergency personnel
4) Victims include emergency personnel

Stress levels are additionally heightened by incidents that take place in adverse conditions, at night, in rain, fog, snow, etc.
Note: In the day-to-day agency training we all experience, even the imagined loss of one of our own, noticeably increases stress levels.
When a Mass Causality Incident occurs....... Will we be ready? Oh Yeah!

P.S. If you can take some personal time to observe or cross train with Emergency Services Personnel, I can assure you it will be an educational and enlightening experience.
Thank you for your time, Wayne

T-Shirts are in.... mostly!

Most of the t-shirts are done. You can still order yours at this monthıs meeting or contact Linda at 895.4912 or TUDYE4@aol.com.
The other good news is, they are costing only $14.00. That means a refund for some. More donuts anyone?

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This excerpt was sent to me by Anne and might be of interest to some of us. The full article can be found at:
http://www.epinions.com/content_2411634820/stf_~1/s_~sft
OFFICERS AT RISK is an important book for police, correctional officers and more importantly, for their families. The stresses involved with law enforcement can be enormous and costly to everyone.
The authors are Dennis Conroy and Karen Hess. Dr. Hess is an author and teacher in the field of law enforcement communication. Dr. Conroy has a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, a private practice and consulting business and also is a Sergeant with the St. Paul Police Department. A 30 year police veteran, today he is the director of the department's Employee Assistance Program. OFFICERS AT RISK is written in 4 parts comprising 18 chapters:
Part I: Overview of Officers and Stress
PART II: Individual Meanings
PART III: Implications
PART IV: Programs to Reduce Burnout
I will have a copy of the article on our web site shortly. Thank you, Anne for this.


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