Friday, January 14, 2011
Initiative 13 - Consensus Protocol
on Firefighter Behavioral Health - Keeping Your Head in the Game!
The way in which firefighters are
cared for in the fire service is on the precipice of great change. We all know
that complications rising from this profession-plus all the stress of normal
life for firefighters and their families-can create situations where we all
need help from time to time. Ensuring that care is available whenever needed,
and that the care delivered represents the best practices under current
evidence informed standards, is the objective of Firefighter Life Safety
Initiative 13.
The strategic plan for this
initiative has employed a consensus process much like that used in developing
standards in both medicine and firefighting. It began by bringing together
carefully selected researchers whose research programs deal with areas
important to occupational behavioral health needs of the fire service. Those
experts worked with a similar number of representatives from key organizations
and standards bodies including the International Association of Fire Fighters,
the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the National Volunteer Fire
Council, the National Fire Protection Association, the National Association of
Emergency Medical Services Physicians, and the North American Fire Training
Directors and the Federation of Fire Chaplains to develop practical ways to
deliver state of the art assistance to fire and EMS providers. A second group
of experts, representing comprehensive behavioral health assistance programs
for firefighters and their families, was followed by a third meeting on the
role of peer support programs in promoting health, wellness and safety using
behavioral health resources. These groups came together and brought their best
from university, medical and military settings-as well as those representing
excellent fire service programs. We learned a great deal from our military
contributors who, we find, face many of the same behavioral health challenges.
As we roll out the new model for
Initiative 13, you can look for presentations on the model & its components
at your local and state level, or you can read the series of articles currently
being printed on the Fire-Rescue Magazine website. These are being presented serially
at: www.firefighternation.com/profile/FireRescueMagazine.
If you would like some direct
information, please contact Dr. JoEllen Kelly of the Everyone Goes Home®
Program at jkelly@everyonegoeshome.com.
