Healing Through Helping Others

HEALING THROUGH HELPING OTHERS

By: Robert Keddie

I have worked for the British Columbia Wildfire Service (branch of the Ministry of Forests) for 33 years and have been a dedicated peer member of our Critical Incident Stress Management Team for well over a decade now, and I can tell you that my CISM training has made a positive impact in almost every part of my personal and professional life. Helping others was always my primary purpose in being a member of the Critical Incident Stress Management program but soon after joining the Team I started realizing the overall personal benefits that have now become too numerous to state in a short article. I sincerely recognize and give credit to my training and affiliation with CISM for giving me the strength, tools, and motivation to improve my own personal growth and mental health. 

Until October of 2010, I really had little to no knowledge of what a critical incident even was, until one regular workday “in the middle of nowhere” when a few colleagues and I, witnessed and responded to a workplace traumatic accident that ultimately resulted in the death of an individual we knew and respected. At the time, I was not aware that this event would have the profound effect on my life that resulted thereafter. 

Early the next morning four people (only one I recognized) showed up onsite and announced that they were from the Ministry of Forests, Critical Incident Stress Management Team and were there to do a defusing with the people involved in the incident. That gesture of our employer to send a crew of individuals hundreds of miles into the wilderness to ensure we were okay was by itself enough to give me the sense that somebody does care. What resulted in the next few hours through compassionate discussion, guided communication, and proven education was something that I will forever be thankful for. While I never expected to recover from this event overnight, I left that worksite later the following day with a full comprehension of what transpired in the event itself, validation of my thought’s, reactions, and feelings, and most importantly, a true understanding of what was possibly to come on my recovery journey ahead. I also solidified that sense I mentioned earlier, and I was relieved to know that my organization does care and was committed to doing whatever is necessary to facilitate healing for all involved.

A year and a half after this event I viewed an email recruiting like-minded individuals to become a peer member of the Ministry of Forests, CISM Team. In the moments after I reflected on what the Critical Incident Stress Management did for me, and my mental health, I instantly had an overwhelming desire to give back and try and become part of the CISM program to provide that service to others out of gratitude and my personal belief in the process. 

Fast forward a dozen years, I am now a senior member of this dedicated team and I still have that sense of satisfaction when we go into traumatic events and assist individuals in their recovery journey as it was provided to me so many years ago. Over those years I have been fortunate to deliver CISM sessions alongside some of the same individuals that were facilitating my Critical Incident defusing back in 2010 and today I consider them lifelong friends that I will always respect and admire. The new individuals that gravitate to CISM and join our team every so often, replacing peers that have changed Ministries or retired, all seem to be cut from the same mold. They have that same compassion, empathy, and care for our Ministry staff around the province that is so vital within successful Critical Incident programs or teams. As someone who is on final approach in my career, it gives me great pleasure in supporting our Ministry’s Critical Incident Stress Management Program in doing what is necessary to promote CISM and mold or mentor new individuals into effective peers that can carry on the torch for this volunteer program, that has provided so much to me as well as countless individuals in need within the organization since our teams inception 30+ years ago. Often, I get asked or queried what being on the CISM Team is like and what effect it has on me or my life. My answer is always relatively the same. I first try to be honest in saying that at times it is difficult volunteering to be put into heartbreaking, tragic, and overall uncomfortable situations with sometime severely impacted people looking at you for the answers. It’s not for everybody, but if you are a person that genuinely cares for those in your workplace, organization, or communities and want to help, then this is a place where you can build skills that can truly make an impact in people’s lives.  I always express the importance of building those connections within your CISM team as it is such a vital part of an effective team to know and trust that you have each other’s backs. As there will undoubtably be times when you don’t know how to say the right thing to ease the pain of others but that’s why it is called a TEAM. Not only are we there for the good of others we are there to support each other in delivering these processes and sharing information that is proven to help assist in healing. Lastly, I always relay that my involvement with the Critical Incident Stress Management Program has not only helped others recover after the incidents they have experienced, but it has also profoundly benefitted me by improving my social connections and building relationships I will cherish for life. It has enhanced my emotional and mental capacity and built resilience in handling different situations that often happen in many of our lives. It has most likely improved my overall sense of well-being, increased my self-worth, and inherently contributed to my overall physical health in a positive way, but one thing is for certain.  It has made me a better friend, father, husband, coworker, and human being. 

In closing, I will say that 2023 will go down in the books as the worst fire season in our Provinces history to date. Not only for the hectares of forests burned, the homes lost, the increased amount of CISM responses required, or the vast amount of fire on the landscape for months with little reprieve, but more importantly, for the six courageous individuals who lost their lives selflessly protecting communities within our Province. Their deaths not only remind us of the dangers our people face every single day on the fireline and in the performance of their duties, but also the importance of having the correct resources in place to ensure the rest of our people, who are greatly impacted by these tragic events, are getting the support and the direction they need to recover and effectively deal with this trauma to  minimize the negative effects it can have on them and their loved ones.  CISM teams around the globe are commonly the first step in this process.  The individuals on these Critical Incident Stress Management teams also exhibit exemplary courage, selflessness, and bravery in their commitment to this work, and provide an invaluable service to their organizations, workplaces, and communities.