HEALTH
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
T H E S I L E N T ST R E N GT H OF A FIREFIGHTER
By Luke Vandermeer
The word we most naturally associate with firefighters is strength. Most people would assume that strength refers to the physical ability to carry heavy equipment and pull people to safety – and they’d be right. But while that’s a major requirement, there are other types of strengths that are equally or even more important to a firefighter. And topping that list is emotional intelligence or Emotional Quotient (EQ).
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C RAC KYL MAGAZ I N E
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE IS OFTEN DEFINED AS “THE ABILITY T O P E R C E I V E , U S E , U N D E R S TA N D , MANAGE AND HANDLE EMOTIONS” It’s a term that’s been around since the early 1960s, but it wasn’t until the mid-nineties that it became widely known, largely thanks to Daniel Goleman’s bestselling book “Emotional Intelligence."
How can you tell if you or someone has a high level of EQ? Such people are highly in tune with their emotional states, both positive and negative. They can readily identify the emotion they’re experiencing and can manage and react appropriately, both internally and externally. Clearly, being able to regulate an emotion such as anxiety is critical for a firefighter.
