International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, Inc.
International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, Inc.
By: Rick Barton, ICISF CEO
Please don’t call them heroes. They are not heroes, helpers, sinners or saints. They are first responders who may more appropriately be called primary responders or maybe just call them human. This group includes corrections officers, dispatchers, medical care workers, firefighters, paramedics, EMTs, police officers, airline personnel, and many more professions. The service of military at all ranks may not be classically viewed as responders but they must be included in this group.
These people sometimes perform heroic acts, almost as a routine “part of the job”, as they say, although society tends to view them with a grander perspective. It is simply natural to recognize lifesaving or property saving behavior as the work of a hero. As the definition states, heroes demonstrate courage and perform outstanding achievements. Most do not want that recognition and will identify other people who are the true heroes. Identifying a hero is actually the purview of the recipient of their service.
There is a problem with putting the title “hero” on the back of primary responders. That alone seems to satisfy the general public and the leaders who make important decisions. It is fashionable to recognize the heroes of the pandemic, for example. The support and recognition usually stop when the applause finishes. Maybe they want a pay raise, or better benefits, or better working conditions. Instead, they receive a round of applause. If they make a mistake on the job, especially a public error even one committed under immense stress, they are cast aside, migrating from hero to sinner.
The unspoken need of primary responders is support. The stress of their work becomes overwhelming, oppressing their personal lives and interrupting normal bodily function. Instead of applause, although that momentarily feels good, we should reach out softly and offer kind relief. That may arrive in the form of properly conducted CISM.
The ICISF model of CISM is the most comprehensive program of care for people who must cope with exposure to critical incidents. At the ICISF we say that we are “helping save the heroes”, and this is the sort of recognition they truly need, rather than just the honor of a title.
Our website is full of detailed information about how to improve the lives of those who keep us safe. After all, they are people who share the human quality of strength and weakness.
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International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, Inc is a 501(c)3 Non Profit