PART 7:
COMPLETING THE OPERATION

 

CRITICAL INCIDENT STRESS  

All emergency workers expect to encounter stressful situations in their day to day environment and can successfully manage this. Typical incidents that are considered emergency service stressors include:
* Death of victims at incidents including those involving children
* Mass casualty incidents
* Threat of personal injury or illness
* Fear of own death or injury.

Regardless of experience, personality, training or preparation, any person can be affected by critical incident stress. People will be affected in different ways and by different things.

USAR incidents are generally considered to be critical incidents.

There are three main categories of psychological response to critical incident stress:

  1. Natural reactions
  2. Acute Stress Disorder (ASD)
  3. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Having a reaction to stress is completely normal. USAR operators can reduce their stress levels by acknowledging that they are stressed, and reassuring themselves that this is normal and acceptable.

Both ASD and PTSD are considered disorders as they have progressed beyond the normal scope of stress reactions. Both categories have similar symptoms, but differ in the onset and duration.

Defusing and debriefing in the critical incident sense are psychological group processes designed to lessen the impact of critical incidents on emergency personnel. These group sessions are designed to accelerate recovery times in people experiencing normal stress reactions, in abnormal conditions.

Defusing is provided after the completion of the incident when personnel have been disengaged from operations (usually 4-12 hours after the incident). Defusing is basically a shorter form of debriefing that will either eliminate the need for a debriefing session, or enhance a debriefing session when it occurs.

Critical incident stress debriefing is led by qualified counsellors or sometimes Peer Support team members. It is an opportunity to reflect on and understand your own reactions, as well as to give and receive support. These debriefs must be held separately to the operational debrief (ideally held 24 to 72 hours after the event.)