Behavior Health Is a Leadership Role
Return to theApril 1, 2013issue
of On Scene
What exciting lives we lead. We
participate in many events that other people only get to read about or watch in
amazement on TV.We see babies born and people die. Lives change in a matter of
moments, sometimes for the better and other times for the worst. Whether we’re
a volunteer or paid firefighter, we have a great opportunity to help people in
need.
Sometimes, though, that person may be
the individual working right next to you.
We must realize that what we do takes
a toll on us at some point—some more than others. It may not be obvious to that
person or even to you in the beginning, but it’s important for an
organization’s leaders to monitor their people at all times for changes in
behavior.
Firefighters are placed in difficult
situations from the very beginning. They have to leave family members for
extended periods of time. This comes both with shift work and when responding
to an emergency from home on a weekend. Missing birthdays, cookouts and other
family events gets old not only to the firefighter but to the family as well.
This puts extra pressure on family life, which in turn causes stress at work
and home.
The events we respond to may play the
biggest role. Firefighters have always been labeled as tough, strong and
dependable; we carry that badge of honor with great pride and uphold that at
all costs, losing many firefighters in the line of duty every year. We keep our
emotions close and most of the time hidden from even our closest friends. We
try to shield our families from the negative elements we encounter, sometimes
leaving a horrific scene to go home and put on a cheerful face for our
children.
Personal life events can be
overwhelming for firefighters as well. Shift work has a long record of causing
unwarranted stress on spouses and relationships that are sometimes hard to
resolve. It’s not unusual to find firefighters in their second marriage and
have children from their first.
Divorce is a significant event in any
individual’s life, one that has an enormous impact on many elements that
multiplies across many areas. Going through a divorce, trying to find a new
place to live, attempting to keep a close relationship with children and the
added financial burden can be devastating beyond belief. However, we still
expect individuals in such situations to arrive to work and perform their jobs
to the expectations detailed on their performance appraisals.
Company officers—those in charge of a
crew of other firefighters—aren’t exempt. Extra effort should be made to ensure
they’re prepared and currently able to fill these leadership roles. For those
who can’t currently do so, take careful measures to support them as they
recover so they can fulfill or resume their responsibilities.
Chief officers must take the lead in
ensuring their department members are truly prepared to perform their jobs both
physically and mentally. It takes extra effort to train people to spot an issue
and properly handle it without adding to an already difficult situation. Take
time to prepare your organization’s leaders on how to save your own: it’s an
inside job!
Keith Padgett is a 30-year veteran of the fire service and
is currently serving as Fire Science Lead Faculty at Columbia Southern
University. Padgett retired as chief-fire marshal with Fulton County
Fire-Rescue in Atlanta. He also serves as director-at-large for the Safety, Health & Survival
Section.
