We often share a saying on our Team that “everyone has a story”. When we see others suffering, be it from a bad call, the loss of a loved one, a broken relationship, parenting issues, substance or alcohol abuse, financial problems, or just issues in our daily lives, it is important that you all understand that we all have a story, that we all have experienced some of the same problems or events. None of us are immune from the difficulties of life. So, why is this thought so important?
Empathy, understanding, sympathy, compassion, and caring are all important emotions in our lives. They come from having lived the problems of life ourselves. These emotions are so important to the ability of our peer team to respond to the need of others and each of you is a first line peer. And, whether you are a member of a Team or regardless of what shirt you wear, each of you is important to helping those you love, work with, or simply know.
Our Team is always ready to respond to help those in need, but you are our eyes and ears. You work or live with those in your life daily that may need help. Since you are with them often, you know when they are not acting like their normal selves, are upset, withdrawn or experiencing anxiety or stress. That knowledge, your knowledge, is so important to us in getting that person the help they need.
We have never had the available resources to help one another that we do now. Formal teams like our own Lowcountry Firefighter, EMS and 911 Telecommunicators Support Teams, or the many peer teams that exist in individual organizations, (i.e., North Charleston and Charleston Fire Departments, the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, the North Charleston Police Department, Florence EMS Peer Team, and the Charleston County Consolidated 911 Center. Then, we have the SC First Responder Assistance and Support Team (F.A.S.T.), the SC Law Enforcement Assistance Program (L.E.A.P.), the Lowcountry Fire Wives, the SC F.L.A.M.E.S. group, the South Carolina First Responders’ Chaplains Association, our local Coastal Crisis Chaplaincy, the Charleston Mental Health Center’s First Responder Support Team & Mobile Crisis Team, the Center for Firefighter Behavioral Health at MUSC, the many behavioral health clinicians who serve our Team in private practice, and the Employee Assistance Programs who join us to make up a formidable group prepared to help our first responders and their families.
I do take a little license to speak when I say ”never before” as I grew up in the “suck it up” culture of the emergency services world. A place where, if you were affected by bad things, you never spoke of them for fear of being an outcast who “couldn’t take it”. I wish I could say we have overcome that culture as there are still pockets of it around. But, with your help, we will continue to work to cast those aside to provide for you and your families the support you need.
We need your help. Step up and be counted and keep reaching out to help those you love and work with, you ride the seat with, and you know better than any of us on the Teams, offer them help, listen to them, and encourage them to seek help.
We can do better, we must do better, we will do better!
Gerald
Special thanks to our friend, Paul Combs, for the amazing graphic that supports this post.