# Presentation: 219454

## Critical Incident Stress

- Developed as part of the National Emergency Services Curriculum Project

**Notes:**
Ref. CAPM 60-5
There are no tasks associated with this briefing but knowledge and understanding of CIS is essential to your development as an Emergency Services Operator

## CISM Defined

- Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) may be defined as a group discussion about a traumatic event, or series of traumatic events.

- CISM is solidly based in crisis intervention theory and educational intervention theory.

## Purpose

- The process is designed to mitigate the psychological impact of a traumatic event, e.g., plane crash, natural disaster, serious incident or accident.

- It serves as an early identification mechanism for individuals who may require professional mental health follow-up subsequent to a traumatic event.

## No one in emergency services is immune to critical incident stress, regardless of past experiences or years of service.

## What is it?

- Critical Incident Reactions
- Happen after intense, unusual, or abnormal events
- Aircraft Accident Site
- Fatalities
- Not finding a missing person or aircraft
- May not appear right away
- Reactions are _normal_

## Reactions are classified as:

**PHYSICAL**
**EMOTIONAL**
**COGNITIVE**
**BEHAVIORAL**

## Reaction Types

- PHYSICAL
- Nausea
- Fatigue
- Headaches

- EMOTIONAL
- Denial
- Fear
- Depression

## Reaction Types Continued

- COGNITIVE
- Nightmares
- Sleep Disturbance
- Memory Problems

- BEHAVIORAL
- Antisocial
- Withdrawal
- Restlessness

**Notes:**
These are general symptoms and do not automatically indicate CIS
In other cases individual

## Critical Incident Stress Debriefing Meeting 

- Non specific expectations
- Confidential
- Discussion
- Review
- Resources Available
- Referrals

## CISM Team Makeup

- Medically qualified personnel
- A psychiatrist, psychologist, social worker, mental health nurse, or 7-level mental health technician. The team chief will be a mental health professional.

- Peer Representative:
- A non-caregiver advocate for involved individuals who will bring to the team expertise in CAP benefits and personnel issues.

## CISM Team Continued

- Chaplains
- An emergency services qualified mission chaplain.

- Medical
- A physician, senior medical technician with trauma experience or intensive care experience, or nurse with trauma or intensive care experience.

## CISM Support Requests

- During, or immediately following each rescue or disaster relief mission, a review of the need for CIS intervention should be made for all personnel participating in the mission whether or not the mission was concluded successfully.

## CISM Support Requests Continued

- If the mission is closed or suspended and a member(s) experiences the need for a critical incident stress intervention or observes the need in another member(s), he/she should express that need directly to the incident commander or wing commander.

## CISM Support Requests Continued

- Incident commanders or unit commanders will pass requests for CIS intervention to the wing commander, as proper CIS support will often require support long after a mission is closed or suspended.

- It should also be noted that personnel not at the front-line of a mission might require CIS intervention just as much as the ground team dealing with a crash site.

## Critical Incident Stress Tasks

- There are no specific Critical Incident Stress Tasks, but all members of the emergency services team should be conscious of the problems that could occur from being involved in stressful missions and seek help as necessary

## QUESTIONS?

**THINK SAFETY**