Health & Wellness

Dec 10, 2020

Cancer and COVID-19 Kill: Why Firefighters and First Responders Need to Track Exposures Now

The long-term effects of COVID-19 on first responders are not yet understood, which is why your organization needs to track exposures now, even if their health doesn’t appear to be affected initially.

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Dec 3, 2020

Straight Talk About Suicide: Resources for a Supportive Conversation

Amy Morgan, mental health professional and director of Academy Hour, offers important guidelines for helping someone choose life over suicide. In order to truly support struggling co-workers in public safety, confidants must withhold both judgments and quick solutions.

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Webinar Icon - How Community Relations Impact Risk Reduction
Nov 18, 2020

Vital Ways the New ECC Guidelines Impact Your Department’s Training

Join Jonathan Epstein, MEMS, NRP of the Public Safety Group (PSG) and Nick Magoteaux, the manager of patient transportation for an Ohio-based hospital network, as they discuss what the new ECC recommendations and guidelines mean for your department—and the type of impact you should expect to see as they are implemented.

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Nov 12, 2020

Suicide Intervention

Listen to Amy Morgan, mental health professional and director of Academy Hour, identify possible signs of suicidal thoughts, and provide practical tools for the process of intervening when someone plans to die by suicide.

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Webinar Icon - How Community Relations Impact Risk Reduction
Nov 6, 2020

Make Stronger Community Connections Through Social Work

Listen to Chief Michael Diekhoff and social worker Melissa Stone of the Bloomington Police Department discuss how social workers can help forge connections between law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve.

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Oct 27, 2020

How Psychological Trauma in One Person Can Have Lasting and Damaging Effects on an Entire Department

According to some studies, the rate of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among first responders may be between 15 and 30%, up to four times the rate among the U.S. general population. Such a high statistic nearly guarantees that every first responder department will include people with PTSD, some of them possibly undiagnosed and therefore untreated. While PTSD takes its heaviest toll on an individual and that individual’s family, the impact of PTSD on an individual’s co-workers—their entire department, in fact—cannot be underestimated.

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Oct 20, 2020

For First Responders, Work-Life Balance Must Be a “Part of the Job”—Just Like Long Hours

Work-life balance is more than a buzzword or new-age human resources speak. Nowhere is this truer than in first response, where unique pressures and heavy workloads contribute to stress that could potentially costs dollars and lives.

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Oct 16, 2020

Civilianization may improve police effectiveness in face of budget crisis

Hiring civilians for roles usually occupied by sworn law enforcement officers may help law enforcement manage costs during times of economic difficulty.

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Sep 17, 2020

How Traumatic Memories are Different from Everyday Memories (and why it matters for first responders)

For first responders, exposure to potentially traumatic events comes with the job. It’s crucial organizations have sound practices and resources in place to help their team cope with stress and trauma. Learn more about how traumatic memories affect the brain and what you can do to help yourself or a colleague in need.

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Jul 28, 2020

Positive Peer Pressure: What Officers Need to Know About Reporting Misconduct

As the potential for police misconduct comes under greater scrutiny, the burden of monitoring and reporting such behavior often falls on fellow officers. This article offers some tips on how to responsibly report concerns, and how the right internal affairs case management and training tools can help organizations respond.

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