It has been a difficult summer for my home community of firefighters and paramedics. They have handled an unusually high number of retired and active member deaths, including the heartbreaking situation with Fairfax County, Virginia, Master Technician Justin Walker who remains lost at sea along with Jacksonville, Florida, Firefighter Brian McCluney. What can you do after a massive effort does NOT have a good outcome?
There is a sense of loss and frustration that, despite everything we did, there still is a bad outcome. There may be guilt and anger along with the grief of loss. Here are 4 immediate and one long-term activity that a fire officer can do to support responders.
1. Peer Support 
The use of firefighter peer-support teams are identified as one of the more effective actions to take after an incident (SAMHSA 2018).
We do much better with our peers than mental health professionals in the initial aftercare. The IAFF provides a detailed Peer Support Training Information Guide.
Joe Conant, writing for Lexipol, describes the qualities for an effective peer support team member:
- Has the respect and trust of peers
- Skilled communicator
- Good listener
- Empathetic
- Able to maintain confidentiality
These same qualities make for an effective company commander.
2. Grieving and Healing Takes Time
Each of us processes grief differently and on a personal timetable. The company officer should evaluate the condition of each of the responders. Be patient and arrange for “buddy coverage” and back-up processes if the responders are struggling with work-required tasks.
Grieving is not a linear procedure, more like an emotional roller coaster. During this time the fire officer should look for signs of unhealthy coping mechanisms such as heavy drinking or self-isolation. (Bouchillon 2018)
3. Finding Meaning Through Grief
Elisabeth Kübler-Ross described 5 stages of grief in 1969.
- Denial
- Anger
- Bargaining
- Depression
- Acceptance
David Kessler, a co-author with Kübler-Ross, adds a sixth stage in 2019: Finding Meaning.
Kessler provides a roadmap to remembering those who have died with more love than pain; how to move forward in a way that honors our loved ones.
4. Some Will Benefit From Professional Counseling
Some responders will benefit from professional counseling. Your jurisdiction should have an Employee Assistance Program to facilitate this service. Generally, the responder asking for help will get an assessment and then a treatment plan. EAP maintains strict confidentiality so the fire officer will not be provided with the details.
Ralph Stanley “O Death” (2009) 2:30
5. Building Resiliency: Practiced After-Action Reviews
If we only critique or review the greater alarm or bad outcome incidents, we have not developed the emotional and mental “muscle memory” for evaluating our efforts and the event outcome.
Many departments do a “hot wash” of chief and company officers once an event is declared stable but before the companies leave the scene. This is a review of the actions taken, the challenges encountered and if there is any immediate feedback needed to the owner, fire chief or others.
When the chief officer’s hot wash is done, the company officer will gather the crew and share what was discussed at the hot wash and do a more detailed look at any challenges encountered at the incident.
Even if your department does formalize after-incident reviews, the company officer should do some type of hot wash after every call. With each hot wash, the firefighter increases the knowledge of their current skills and competencies, as well as what areas need attention.
This is a longer term activity designed to build resiliency with your firefighters. The iterative process builds firefighter confidence that they are doing righteous work.
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SAMHSA. (2018 May) First Responders: Behavioral Health Concerns, Emergency Response, and Trauma. Disaster Technical Assistance Center Supplemental Research Bulletin. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
IAFF (2019) IAFF Peer Support Training Information Guide. Accessed August 24, 2019. http://client.prod.iaff.org/#contentid=40484
Conant. Joe (2019 April 22) Firefighter Peer Support: The Missing Piece of the Mental Health Puzzle. Frisco, TX: Lexipol. Accessed August 24, 2019. https://www.lexipol.com/resources/blog/firefighter-peer-support-the-missing-piece-of-the-mental-health-puzzle/
Bouchillon, Brad (2018) Enduring the Process of Grieving: Coping with First Responder Loss. Charles Town, WV: American Military University. Accessed August 24, 2019. https://inpublicsafety.com/2018/11/enduring-the-process-of-grieving-coping-with-first-responder-loss/
Kessler, David (2019) Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief. New York: Scribner. (November 2019 release)
Ward, Michael (2019 March 25) 4 Ways A Fire Officer Can Improve Company Performance. Reston, VA: CompanyCommander.com.
Featured Image: Firefighter Brian McCluney’s boat trailer made into a monument. The Jacksonville Association of Fire Fighters, IAFF Local 122.
Nice column, Mike! While we agree on the need for, and value of, trained and committed peer support, I think we’re a bit less so on professional mental health services. I’m a member of the Fire Service Psychology Association because I see full value in its vision, “Bridging the gap between psychology and the fire service.” Toward that end, we are seeking leaders from both fields to collaborate on training psychologists to understand the fire service and the unique mental health needs of the fire service. At the same time, we’re working on educating fire service leaders on how to better integrate professional mental health professionals (e.g., trained psychologists) in their community into the “continuum of mental health care” for firefighters. I invite you and your readers to check out our website, http://www.firepsychology.org
Thanks for the information Robert