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| Kelli Krupa |
Last week myself, Kelli
Krupa, and Paul Gardner had the privilege of delivering the ILFFPS message to
firefighters in MABAS 21 which was hosted by the Chicago Ridge Fire
Department. Two weeks prior to this
event, I presented the message to the firefighter candidates at the Moraine
Valley Fire Academy. My thoughts about
those few days will be included in the next team newsletter, but it really got
me thinking about the two main reasons we exist as a team.
First, we exist to help other firefighters
in need by providing the actual peer support.
There is not a week or two that goes by where a brother or sister
contacts us for help either through the established channels or through our own
departments. As Josh said in the video,
it may take an hour or less for him to receive a handful of responses from
members ready and willing to help someone in need. After all, that is why we joined this team so
we can spring into action similar to the we react when the bell goes off for
another EMS or fire run. I cannot think
of a more gratifying experience than to change another person’s life for the
better just by listening and sharing.
Every member of this team in his or her own right has walked a green
mile that enables us to empathize with peers because we have been there, and done
that. Given all this, what other role do
we carry out to support our mission statement?
In the fire service, the role of public education
and prevention is one of the most important tasks we carry out on a frequent
basis. We all like to play at a fire,
but in order for this to happen, a citizen has to suffer what can be
devastating losses to him/her. Public
education seeks to reduce these number of incidents in order to save lives and
reduce losses by instilling the situational awareness (of fire safety) in the
public at large. So what does this have
to do with the ILFFPS? Let me explain.
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| Kelli Krupa and Paul Gardner |
Much like fire safety education, our
public outreach efforts where we spread the word of our mission and existence
is there to offer hope to others who are currently hiding in the shadows of
behavioral health issues. Ultimately, our goal should be to help reduce the number
of firefighters leaving the job prematurely(or taking their own life) because they became too physically,
mentally, and emotionally overwhelmed and exhausted by the demands imposed on
them. We must take it to the streets (so
to speak) and increase our exposure with all departments across the state. Although we have been in existence for close
to two years now, there are many firefighters who still do not know we are here
for them. I spoke with a few such
persons at the Chicago Ridge event. So
what can we do as team members to get noticed?
·
Complete the Post-training presentation to
your department ASAP, and on an annual basis (or whenever you get new personnel).
·
Be willing to step up and present to other
departments, because the more we get noticed, the busier we will become, and
the several that present regularly will need all the help they can get.
·
Approach your local EMS system and fire
academies and ask if you can present to their students/candidates.
·
Encourage others to apply for future peer
support trainings, especially if you feel they will make an excellent resource
for others.
·
Do what you can to assist the team without
overextending yourself.
·
Participate in the Rosecrance Florian peer
support experience.
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| Illinois Fire Chiefs Association Annual Symposium |
This is not an all-inclusive list, so do
not hesitate to contact your peer coordinator and offer other innovative ways
we can get our presence felt in all firehouses across Illinois and beyond. The most important part of the public
outreach is that you get the chance to tell your story over and over
again. I said this before, but it is bears
repeating: The more you tell your story,
the easier it becomes. Therefore,
reach out and heal someone- because that someone you may be healing is you. Until next time,
Be well and stay safe,
Tim
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