"Everyone Goes Home®" - "Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives"

In March 2004, a Firefighter Life Safety Summit was held to address the need for change within the fire service. At this summit, the "16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives" were created and a program was born to ensure that "Everyone Goes Home®."

Fire service organizations have been included in many of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) initiatives and NFFF is proud to have been a part of "Initiative 13: Firefighters and their families must have access to counseling and psychological support."
 
The results of the past nine years of this initiative are research grounded in scientific study and fact-based evidence for the successful identification and healing of those members of the fire service effected by the following issues and those who are in search of psychological support for post traumatic stress, alcoholism, drug abuse, death and injury, family struggles and any other situation that impacts firefighters.
                              
Consensus Approach to Firefighter Behavioral Health

Recent evidence has emerged that indicates the way firefighters have been offered psychological support is not always practical or effective. This new model is based on a consensus approach derived from the best scientific data from military medicine, community psychology, and data from over 20 years of attending to firefighter/EMS personnel. The underpinning of the new model is to meet each firefighter where he/she is in terms of stress and to offer appropriate care. A preponderance of evidence has concluded that a one-size approach to stress injuries or life events does not work effectively at identifying and helping firefighters. 

At the conclusion of this course, students will understand the elements of the new model and begin the planning process of incorporating them into their fire and EMS service. The elements of the model include:  

• After Action Review
• Curbside Manner: Stress First Aid for the Street
• Stress First Aid for Fire/Rescue Professionals (including peer team assistance) 
• Behavioral Health Assistance Programs (the shift from EAP)
• Helping Heroes (clinician training course/resource)

After Action Review – The fire service has been adopting AAR primarily targeting operational events and procedures – what went right or wrong on the fireground or emergency scene. Within this model, AAR can also be a useful tool for beginning to identify those firefighters or EMTs who may be impacted due to exposure to potentially traumatic events. AAR training will be available online.

Curbside Manner: Stress First Aid for the Street – Curbside Manner is designed to help bring out the best in every citizen encounter. Its primary purpose is to help add an extra dimension of service and care to the work firefighters and EMTs do every day. It is not a "feel good" approach to community relations – it is based on clearly identified principles from more than two decades of research on helping victims of accidents and disasters recover from those experiences. This material will be available as an online module with CEUs available. 

Stress First Aid for Firefighters and EMS Professionals – SFA is designed to reduce the risk for stress reactions in fire and rescue personnel. It recognizes quickly those individuals who are reacting to a wide range of stresses in their work and/or personal life and are in need of interventions to promote healing. SFA offers a spectrum of one-on-one or group interventions to ensure safety, reduce the risk for more severe stress reactions, and to promote recovery. SFA monitors the progress of recovery to ensure a return to full function and well-being. SFA bridges individuals to higher levels of care as needed. This course will discuss the principles of peer teams in the fire service and their organization. This part of the model may be the most important as fire departments adapt to new ways of supporting firefighters. Initially, all training will be delivered by a NFFF behavioral health specialist. This training will be widely available on a regional basis.

Behavioral Health Assistance Programs – This material will be available to departments in a series of online guides to assist in the transition from the traditional EAP to the more inclusive and revamped BHAP. Material will help department contract officers in determining what they need (in terms of training) for either in-house or community behavioral assistance. Another guide will help local providers make the transition to BHAP. Additionally, a brief online course will be available that will outline the principles of a fire/EMS based behavioral health program and answer questions regarding the appropriate size, quality, and scope of these programs. This resource will also assist behavioral health vendors to best calibrate their proposals to their local fire departments.
 
Helping Heroes – The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) has developed Helping Heroes to assist clinicians in understanding the culture of the fire service and the particular traumatic events, life circumstances, and stresses that impact this population. Any clinician who endeavors to support a fire department behavioral health program should successfully complete this training. This will be web-based training with CEUs available.

Click here to learn more about Everyone Goes Home® and click here for information on the NFFF.