What's Your Plan for an Officer in Crisis???

By Sgt. Mark St. Hilaire

As a professional reading this article no matter who you are and at what rank you are in your agency, ask yourself: What is our plan to assist a brother or sister in crisis?

Your agency doesn’t have one? It is now time for you to have that courageous conversation with your union leaders along with your agency leaders to develop the plan.  There are many precious lives at stake.

Here are the important points I need to share with everyone, especially first responder agency leaders and their union leaders: 

YOU NEED TO HAVE A PLAN TO INTERVENE IF THIS HAPPENS TO A FIRST RESPONDER, ESPECIALLY ONE OF YOURS.  

Everyone needs to understand the plan and Pre-incident training is the key for a successful response. Practice and more practice especially for the: What if?

1     COMMUNICATION: Very important as this is no time for egos or personality conflicts. Advise all responders what is happening, all vital information and expect the unexpected.  A law enforcement agency supervisor in dispatch along with a supervisor on scene MUST be focused on the task at hand on any suicidal action call.  If you are served by a CISM team focusing on first responders, call them immediately to activate this team to be ready to assist our friend in need and our co-workers who will have their own anxieties to deal with during and following the incident.  Most peer teams have trusted mental health professionals who work with first responders daily and know our culture.

2    RESPONSE: First responders don’t know what the suicide plan, method of action or know if a weapon or dangerous substance or item is being used.  EMS staged near the scene is important along with an assessment of the situation. Can a police patrol team make contact with our friend or has it escalated to bring in a higher trained special response team.  This is why you need the plan: who are our resources if needed and practice, practice and more practice.

Dispatchers... You're the "Real Deal"

By Jan Myers

A Couple of Questions:  Why is the phrase, ‘I’m just a dispatcher” still used?  When will dispatchers finally accept that they are first responders? 

Over 15 years ago I was tasked to write an article; an extremely unfamiliar and uncomfortable task required to complete a year long process of becoming a master instructor for California Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST).  This was not a task I took lightly for two reasons:  Being published scared the living crap out of me, and, I was JUST a dispatcher…How could someone like me write an article?

Fast forward to 2015.  President & Founder Sean Riley from Safe Call Now® asked me to write a segment for his blog, specifically for dispatchers.  I pondered on this for a bit.  I’m no longer fearful of writing, thanks to the 3 plus years on non-stop writing required of a mental health counseling graduate degree program.  I no longer work a radio or telephone system, thanks to a posttraumatic stress disorder diagnosis in 2001 – not that I could not continue the work, I chose not to.  On the other hand, I’ve been blessed to continue to work with 9-1-1 dispatchers, emergency call takers, telecommunicators, etc., by way of teaching at academies in California and Oregon, and participating with pro-dispatch programs such as Safe Call Now® and the 9-1-1 Wellness Foundation.  Reflecting on these experiences, I continued to ponder … What concerns have dispatchers continued to express in academies and or advanced courses over the years?  What are they fearful of?  Do they still feel unappreciated? 

First Responders & Substance Abuse...

By Summit BHC

Choosing a career as a first responder means putting your well-being behind those you serve.

If you are in this line of work, you are well aware of the potentially dangerous situations that come with it. From exposure to contagious diseases, to violent situations. Our police officers, firefighters, 911 operators, paramedics, correction officers, military, hospital and trauma workers put their lives at risk in order to keep ours safe. Imagine a job that is stressful and dangerous at the same time?

First responders and substance abuse could be an issue at any time.

Without warning, substance abuse could take hold of a new hire or a 15 year veteran. Any stressful situation or dangerous encounter could trigger our responders to seek a substance or activity in order to numb or treat the feelings brought on by the stress and trauma of the profession. The problem begins when one uses a substance or activity in order to ‘numb’ to the feelings, or treat their symptoms such as anxiety, stress and depression without a doctor’s care. 

Doing so merely covers the underlying problem like a band aid. When the band-aid is removed, one can get triggered again, the symptoms return and so does the self medication… and thus the vicious cycle of addiction begins.

Code 3 Spices... Saving Lives One Bottle at a Time!!!

Code 3 Spices

Our Mission: To bring the highest quality, award-winning seasonings to your home. A portion of each sale is contributed to organizations that support Police, Fire, Medical, & Military.

Chris Bohnemeier, a BBQ enthusiast and grill master, teamed up with his friend Mike Radosevich, a Police Officer of 12 plus years, joined forces to create a BBQ competition team. Located just outside of the St. Louis metropolitan area, they soon realized that their style of spices they designed and utilized were well received in the BBQ community.  The team has received multiple awards in local BBQ competitions. 

Chris and Mike developed 5 highly satisfying, award winning, professional based seasonings to make the perfect BBQ!  After teaming up with a local manufacturer to replicate their special blends, Chris and Mike are now able to introduce to you the perfect products through their Rescue Rub, 5-O Rub, Backdraft Rub, Grunt Rub and Sea Dog Rub. Not only will you love the outcome of your BBQ and various other foods, but you will find it to be an everyday staple in your spice rack.

 Chris and Mike didn't create this company solely to bring you the best blends. They also share a great passion for the men and women who serve as first responders and in military services. Chris's father served in a private sector of law enforcement and his sister currently is a law enforcement officer in the Midwest. They have seen firsthand what first responders and the military contribute to all of us and decided they needed to give back through their own passion.  Portions of each Code 3 Spices sale will be donated to organizations that support Police, Fire, Medical and Military Personnel. 

   They invite you to join in their mission.  For every bottle purchased, $.50 of the proceeds will be donated to those qualifying programs.

Gordon Graham... Saving the Lives of #1stresponders

By Gordon Graham

Gordon Graham here and thanks for taking the time to read this rambling on important things going on in the world of public safety in general and law enforcement in particular. If you have been to any of my live programs over the last 35 years, you know my focus in life is getting more and more people to understand the value of real risk management. While there are many definitions for risk management, I like the simple approach: What can go wrong and what can I do to prevent this from going wrong?

With the above in mind I am asking you to do what I do every morning. One of the first websites I visit is www.policemisconduct.net. This site is sponsored by The Cato Institute and they collect information daily on some of the things going wrong in law enforcement organizations around the U.S.

When you read this, I am asking you to ask this question: What control measures do we have in place to assure that this never happens to anyone in our department? As I have read these news stories for quite some time, I continually ask questions like the following: What control measures do we have in place to prevent patrol cars from being stolen on traffic stops? What control measures do we have in place to prevent cops from pulling out their pistol when they wanted to use the TASER? What control measures do we have in place to prevent this quadruple fatal at the end of a pursuit?

Addressing Substance Abuse in Public Safety

Safe Call Now® National White Paper

The most potentially dangerous and seldom mentioned issue facing public safety personnel today is the existence of substance abuse and addiction among its ranks.  With reported abuse rates over twice the national average for the general population, many of those entrusted to protect and serve the communities of America are struggling to hold their own lives together.  For those public safety employees fighting the demons of substance abuse and addiction, they are also challenged by working within a professional culture that has historically discouraged them from asking for help.  In fact, many public safety professionals who divulge their struggles to employers and seek assistance are given the option to quit their job or be let go.  The result, they keep their substance abuse and addiction a secret.  This dysfunctional way of doing business produces shattered lives for those personally impacted by the substance abuse and addiction, as well as a potentially perilous situation for the general public.

Safe Call Now^®, a non-profit organization, offers nationwide, comprehensive crisis referral services for all public safety employees and their family members.  Established and managed by public safety officials, Safe Call Now^® recognizes firsthand the stressors first responders encounter and offers a broad array of training, as well as a confidential, 24/7 crisis hotline staffed by current and former public safety employees. Additionally, Safe Call Now^® is dedicated to erasing the stigma surrounding substance abuse and is committed to creating programs designed to save the careers and lives of those impacted by it. While Safe Call Now^® is staffed to handle a wide array of crises, this document focuses on how the organization addresses substance abuse and addiction in the public safety population.

Click here for entire report 

Dispatchers... You are the First, #1stresponder

By Jan Myers

A Couple of Questions:  Why is the phrase, ‘I’m just a dispatcher” still used?  When will dispatchers finally accept that they are first responders? 

Over 15 years ago I was tasked to write an article; an extremely unfamiliar and uncomfortable task required to complete a year long process of becoming a master instructor for California Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST).  This was not a task I took lightly for two reasons:  Being published scared the living crap out of me, and, I was JUST a dispatcher…How could someone like me write an article?

Fast forward to 2015.  President & Founder Sean Riley from Safe Call Now® asked me to write a segment for his blog, specifically for dispatchers.  I pondered on this for a bit.  I’m no longer fearful of writing, thanks to the 3 plus years on non-stop writing required of a mental health counseling graduate degree program.  I no longer work a radio or telephone system, thanks to a post-traumatic stress disorder diagnosis in 2001 – not that I could not continue the work, I chose not to.   

On the other hand, I’ve been blessed to continue to work with 9-1-1 dispatchers, emergency call takers, telecommunicators, etc., by way of teaching at academies in California and Oregon, and participating with pro-dispatch programs such as Safe Call Now® and the 9-1-1 Wellness Foundation.  Reflecting on these experiences, I continued to ponder … What concerns have dispatchers continued to express in academies and or advanced courses over the years?  What are they fearful of?  Do they still feel unappreciated?