CISM, not something many people know about. It stands for Critical Incident Stress Management and is a necessary component of “psychological 1st aid” for people who have endured a traumatic event.
Currently, the province is lacking not only personnel, but also the funding to get timely and well-trained help out to volunteer fire departments. In our area alone, firefighters from Meadow Lake, Lashburn, Paynton, Pierceland and St. Walburg helped make up the class of 30 students from all over Saskatchewan.
These men and women have signed up to be deployed throughout the province as peer support workers for other volunteer fire fighters who have been through an especially difficult event. Each person, including instructor Patty Stewart-McCord, donated their time in Lumsden this past weekend to learn the "group session" component of the program. "One on one" support was taught at last fall’s SVFFA fire training symposium, affectionately known as fire school for the 200-plus volunteer fire fighters who attend each spring and fall.
The Saskatchewan Volunteer Fire Fighters Association (SVFFA) and Saskatchewan Association of Fire Chiefs (SAFC) have been working together to get this initiative off the ground. Because of the hard work done by the CISM committee, which is made up of members from both associations as well as Patty Stewart-McCord, training went ahead without funding this time around. Hopes are that the Saskatchewan government adds into their budget for these volunteers to have their training, fuel, accommodations and meals taken care of at the very least. At the moment there has been a contribution of $5,000 from the SVFFA which will not last long. The SAFC and SVFFA have planned a fundraiser to help with the cause at this April’s SVFFA fire school in Balgonie and SAFC Fire Chief’s conference in North Battleford.
CISM committee members have started planning the next "one on one" training session for this fall in a more northern community; more details will come when the planning is complete. It is estimated to be a three-year process to get a projected number of 80-plus support workers trained and ready to go out and help people. This is not a short term process. The trainees will also need annual refresher courses and may also want to seek other types of training to boost their understanding of how trauma effects the human brain. Thanks to decades of research done by many different mental health professionals, going back as far as the 1800s, there is a better understanding of why some people are affected more profoundly than others. The group is looking for more peers from the fire industry as well as formally trained people to donate their time and skills as well. Psych nurses, psychologists, social workers and other mental health professionals are encouraged to join the cause for better mental healthcare and less occurrences of PTSD. Peer support training is only so in-depth, psychological professionals are an integral part of the process for the healing process to begin. Psychological injuries are equally as important to repair as physical injuries.
Because of the stigma attached to mental well being, many people are not well educated on the science behind how trauma effects people. Many can not recognize that there is a problem, and if they do, they sometimes feel too embarrassed to admit that they have been affected and end up suffering alone. Everyone has had different life experiences which causes each person to react differently to stressful and traumatic events, but if left untreated, PTSD can set in and cause a person to change completely. This can affect relationships, cause substance abuse and even end in suicide. Volunteer fire fighters are on call 24/7, attending house fires, motor vehicle accidents, farming accidents and so much more. They are ready to risk mental and physical well being for their neighbours and friends, which could include you! If you would like to become a CISM team member, please contact Janice Nieswandt at the SVFFA by email: [email protected].
