Editors Note: The following is an article from Robert F. Rabe who has 38 years of Law enforcement experience, and has been involved in Critical Incident Stress Management for over 20 years.
A college professor once asked the class, “how heavy is a glass of water?” The professor received several answers but the professor replied, “the weight doesn’t matter, it depends on long you try to hold it…the longer you hold it the heavier it becomes…that is until you put it down and rest.” Stress is the same way. If we carry stress especially after a critical incident the stress can become increasingly heavy, if not dealt with properly. The stress may lead to a crisis. According to the Chinese symbol for crisis it is made up from two other symbols which are danger and opportunity (see graphic on this page). We can collapse under the weight of the crisis (danger) or we can learn to develop new skills (opportunity) to meet it head on. Dr. Jeffrey Mitchell is the founder of Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) and the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation. In the early 1980’s, Dr. Mitchell, who was a firefighter/paramedic, found that after a critical incident, his peers demonstrated difficulty coping with the stress. He studied their reactions and developed CISM, which is now a worldwide program. The purpose of this article is to provide to help law enforcement personnel, better understand and cope with reactions following involvement in critical incidents.
CRITICAL INCIDENT STRESS MANAGEMENT
CISM is a comprehensive, organized approach for the reduction… Continue reading
There have been too many stories in the news lately of cops gone bad. Let’s create a better system to support and help them before this happens again.
Rafael Navarro a Pinellas County Sheriff’s Deputy releases a new book on Tactical Casualty Care entitled: “A Police Officers Guide and Handbook to Tactical Casualty Care (Under Fire) First Aid and Self First Aid for Law Enforcement”.
