Is CISM Always Necessary?
by Barbara Jacobson
| Barbara Jacobson is a Chief Communications Dispatcher at Santa Clara County Communications. She holds a Masters degree in Public Administration and is currently enrolled in the Master Instructor Development Program through Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) in Sacramento. Her assignment in this program is to develop a 24 hour Critical Incident Stress Management Program. |
| Illustrations: (select thumbnail to view detail image) |
 Med-Flight dispatcher in Columbus, Ohio. Ken Kerr |
W hen a sore is healing fine, why would you want to pick at it?
When public safety dispatchers are doing fine at their stressful jobs without bringing up the fact that this is job related stress, why bother to address it? They're doing fine, and they're doing it without Critical Incident Stress Management training! They have become accustomed to handling physical and emotional trauma as they process what may be called routine or emergency calls. They develop that immunity to the painful incidents, and that's great, or is it? Is that immunity lifelong or short term?
I still recall the dew-covered cowboy boots and the jacket with suede fringe an individual wore into the Sheriff's Office in Santa Barbara, California, in the 1960's. He confessed to me that he had killed his roommate. I still recall an incident at the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office in 1979, when an officer advised of a major emergency where he needed all available units. With the exception of an occasional mild anxiety attack, I believe I'm okay. I have the ability to remain calm and in control when faced with adverse situations. After all, isn't it alright to suppress feelings of pain and emotional sensitivity in order to continue to help citizens, officers, fire personnel and paramedics?
Now don't get me wrong. I'm not suggesting that you attempt to abandon your very meaningful employment as a public safety dispatcher and become a couch potato. Simply take care of yourself. Consider what may be happening when you go off duty. Can you continue to suppress those feelings? When you're away from your communications family and with your biological family are you the same caregiver that you are at the office? Are you able to cope? Are you emotionally level, dealing with life without outside assistance?
If you aren't sure, let me identify three categories of Critical Incident Stress. They are Physical/psychomotor, Cognitive and Emotional/affective.
Physical/psychomotor are physical reactions to stressors. They typically include nausea, perspiration, tremors, insomnia, fatigue, hot flashes, dry mouth, chest pain, muscle soreness, cramps, or even distorted hearing.
Cognitive symptoms are reactions that effect the thought process. Potentially, they include impaired concentration, difficulty making decisions, second guessing, inability to perform simple tasks, nightmares, flashbacks, or tunnel vision.
Emotional/affective symptoms occur on a feeling level. Examples are anxiety, fear, crying, grief, a sense of abandonment, feeling alone or emotionally overwhelmed.
Your failure to recognize these symptoms may potentially lead to a Delayed Critical Incident Stress reaction. The delay of recognizing these symptoms may place you in a position of increased anxiety, depression, or sleeplessness. Be aware that every individual reacts differently to situations.
Typically, a public safety dispatcher experiences one or more of these reactions either during or after a critical incident. Authorities say the degree to which the incident and the reaction effect each individual is predicated upon their coping skills.
Curtis Darnell, a veteran dispatcher at Santa Clara County Communications, states he recognized the symptoms and was able to cope by running laps around our facility. Additionally, he spent time in our exercise room lifting weights. After the laps and the workout, he states he realized at that time that he had done everything he could and the outcome of the incident was still negative.
Pennia Thrailkill states the ability to meet the officer who was in crisis helped her. She and the officer involved in a fatal auto pedestrian accident were able to review the tape recording of the incident, allowed her to begin the healing process.
Rose Marino realized her problem was in the delivery of Pre Arrival Instruction (PAI) to the wife of a heart attack victim about the same age as her dad, who had died almost 11 years to the day earlier. Rose needed time to talk about the incident and recognize the fact that number 1, this incident rekindled feelings from that long ago, and number 2, that she had followed the Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) procedures to the T. Even that will not save some victims.
These three employees all took different amounts of time to heal. They initially relied upon their own coping skills, personal experiences, and eventually the trust of a trained professional. Ensure that a trained professional is available in your department. Don't assume that these reactions are just part of the job. Talk with the law enforcement, fire service, or EMS agency in your jurisdiction. Ascertain if they provide a Critical Incident Stress Management program for their employees and determine if Public Safety Dispatchers can be included. You are an intricate part of Critical Incidents.
