Stress Resilience for Emergency Response

Professionals working in emergency response are at significant risk for developing occupational stress injuries, such as burnout and PTSD. These injuries can impact engagement and efficacy in our work, lead to an early end to promising careers and can be life threatening. Resilience skills for professionals, plus support structure within organizations can mitigate the risk of these injuries. A shift in how emergency management culture understands and talks about stress is the first step in protecting professionals in these occupations. This presentation will introduce a common language to help participants begin to engage in this cultural shift. It will then cover tangible resources to implement within emergency management organizations, including: 1. use of the Stress Continuum for self-awareness and decision making; 2. basic principles for mitigating stress impact in self and others; and 3. a novel structure, recommended by the International Commission for Alpine Rescue, for organizations to support their personnel following significant stress exposures.

This presentation is designed to be relatable, interactive, and actionable. It includes personal anecdotes, examples of how organizations are utilizing these tools, and facilitated discussion to help guide participants in implementing these practices within their work.