Essay On First Responders

During tragedy we focus on what needs to done to save others. First responders are the very first people we see during a very traumatic and stressful time. However, first responders see communities and people in very crude situations. Even though this is their job to respond to traumatic events in communities and other people’s lives, it does not mean they are mentally immune to trauma. It is very important to monitor the mental health of first responders to keep them emotionally stable and for them to excel at their position. Often, first responders put the communities and people they are taking care of first, and themselves second. This type of selflessness is incredibly admirable, however, it can cause emotional and psychological issues down the line if their personal needs are not met. This paper aims to provide insight on the emotional and psychological needs of first responders. It will also provide awareness of what first responders
Identifying the Trauma First responders are consistently exposed to traumatic situations that include life threatening situations, working with the survivors and their families, and recovering …show more content…
Some factors can include demographic background, prior mental illness, preexisting traits, cognitive processing during the event itself, and post event processing (Kleim & Westphal, 2011). In respect of demographic factors, Liberman presented findings in which police officers of Caucasian race, with less prior trauma and critical incident exposure experienced lower PTSD symptoms (Liberman et al., 2002; Yuan et al., 201). The most underlying factor in preventing trauma is social support. In particular, first responders often look to their superiors and their organizational network for support (Leffler & Dembert, 1998; Regehr et al., 2000; Weiss, Marmar, Metzler, & Ronfeldt,