Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Reaching Out to Another First Responder

One thing is for sure - whether it's the excitement of the job or the stress of that job, firefighters know how to kick back and have a good time! If there's a call for a celebration, say a birthday, marriage, anniversary, even a promotion, if there's a party to be held, we often hold the best! So, what's the matter with that?

In general terms, nothing; it's fine. There are times though, when the stress of the job plays a heavy-handed role in how much we celebrate at the "racket." And sadly, there are those who continue to celebrate after the party is over. 

If you've been on the job for more than a few months, you may have already seen a colleague who may not have been fit for duty. Whether there are problems at home, on the job, whatever...some of us look for a way to ease the pain or let go of the stress. Some turn to alcohol, some to drugs and others find their own way. No matter what they choose, if they are under the influence, they do not belong on duty.

However, there is help available. On our next podcast on "5-Alarm Task Force", (available this weekend) you will hear Mark Lamplugh, Jr. discuss this sensitive topic. We discuss many of the issues that one first responder may face when noticing that a colleague is troubled. "Are you budding in where you don't belong?" is an important question we address, as is "How do I reach out to a friend without it looking like I'm sticking my nose in his/her business?"

Mark is not a therapist or clinician. However, he is well-experienced, recognized in  Crisis Stress Intervention through the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress. Mark also hosts his own radio talk show called, "Firefighter Wellness Radio," through Fire Engineering.

Here are some links that Mark wanted to make available to our readers and listeners:

1. To reach Mark directly, email him at mark@360wellness.radio. He will respond to you as quickly as possible and after speaking with you, help you find assistance within your own community.

2.Advanced Health & Education - www.advhealth.com

3. Frontline Responder Services - www.frontlinerehab.com  

On Social Media:


2. Twiiter: @ResponderTX


4. YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCgSyP7U0lVwEwCNYhKj_ow  (I hope we have that right!)


If you have any problems with these links, feel free to reach out to Mark at his email, noted above, or drop us a line at DalmatProd@Outlook.com.

As always, we welcome your comments on our podcasts.

And we thank our "partners" who help promote our podcast, "5-Alarm Task Force:"


http://www.thefirehousetribune.com

http://www.ffcancer.org

http://www.cooltowelonline.com

Fire-Tec, Inc.
On-Scene DeCon Products & Services

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