As a part of our Team’s work with the Center for Firefighter Behavioral Health at the Medical University of South Carolina, we have been asked to recruit volunteers to participate in a focus group to help us think through our new resource for spouses and family members of firefighters. These folks can be wives, parents, or significant others of a firefighter.
This resource will help firefighter spouses and family members in understanding common firefighter stressors and behavioral reactions as well as their own stressors and behaviors (e.g., worry, anxiety, distress) when they occur. This resource would also help them learn about self-care, peer/social support, and communication strategies and will help them build skills to recognize warning signs and take action, if needed.
We are looking for firefighter spouses or family members who are in daily (or close contact) with their firefighter. We need them to participate in a 90 minute focus group to help us learn about their experiences and give us feedback on our thoughts about how to structure this resource. Each participant will receive a $25 gift card for their time and we will provide refreshments. This project will involve a group meeting that will be videotaped at the offices of the Lowcountry Firefighter Support Team in North Charleston, South Carolina for inclusion on the Center’s website.
We would like to have two separate groups, with 15 participants in each group, representing career firefighters and volunteer firefighters.
If you are interested in participating, please email Gerald Mishoe at gerald@firefightersupport.org or call 843.609.8300.