STRESS
Coping with a Lack CALL Closure... of Call Together W H AT E V E R H A P P E N E D TO TH EM?
Coping with a Lack of Call Closure... Together By Erin Craw, Doctoral Student, Chapman University
What happened to that family we rescued last week? How are those parents doing, the ones who lost their child in the car accident? Will that little boy we saved ever get to live a normal life? Firefighters are solution-oriented. They solve problems. You call 9-1-1, they respond and do everything they can to manage the scene, control the fire, and rescue victims.
B U T WH AT ABOUT TH E CALLS T HAT D O N ’ T H AVE A CLE AR EN DING?
Given that first responders have an innate desire to help, moving on from a call without closure can be traumatic. But a critical aspect of the job is to keep moving. Firefighters must do their job at a call: put out the fire, perform the rescues and then move on to the next call. Often, firefighters save a person's life and then transfer care to someone else in order to get to the next call. The void created by not knowing what happened to the many people you save or care for is an occupational stressor that’s rarely talked about.
R E SE A R C H SH OWS T H AT U NC E RTA INT Y C A N, IN T H E L ON G R U N, B E E IT H E R P O SIT IV E OR N E G AT I V E D E P E N D I N G O N H OW YOU EVALUATE T H E SIT UAT IO N . We all have different reactions to uncertainty, and not all uncertain conditions are viewed in the same way. Uncertain circumstances trigger various emotional responses. Some calls might spark optimism or hope. For instance, you might feel that not knowing exactly what happened to the burn victim or
