Screening for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in law enforcement and treating the related symptoms are important for a number of reasons. First, several of the symptoms prevalent in those who suffer from PTSD can impair a police officer’s response time and/or judgment and prevent him or her from performing the Read more…
When contemplating the roles and duties of the fire service field, we immediately envision firefighters in their gear, thick black smoke billowing out of burning buildings, and hoses pointedly directed at the red-hot flame. In actuality, this is representative of only a small portion of a firefighter’s overall job responsibility, Read more…
Few fields are as stressful as the first responder field, and even more so when in the seat of an ambulance. Naturally, humans in every facet of life will try to find ways to alleviate the stress of everyday life, no matter the career or source of the stress. In Read more…
The inherent nature of emergency calls places many first responders at risk of harm, injury, or death. While emergency dispatchers don’t directly get involved at the scene of an emergency, they are exposed to many of the same mental and emotional traumas that first responders experience first-hand. As a result, Read more…
Fear and hopelessness are universal feelings that most everyone feels. Most everyone can benefit from recovery skills after cases of trauma, addiction, and PTSD . Director of National Outreach at Deer Hollow, Travis Whittaker, introduced his story and story of Senior firefighter Tim Wonacott about their recovery. Wonacott started his career in law Read more…