EMERGENCY WORKERS ARE HEROES

A recent seminar provided stress management tips to local emergency services personnel. These police, fire and medical professionals are on the scene when crisis strikes, and must act within minutes despite dire circumstances.

Unlike television shows, the blood is real, the cries are from real people and the scenes can be gruesome. Emergency personnel never know what the call may entail: accidents, fires, child abuse, murder, suicide or hundreds of others crises.

This critical incident stress management training seems a good idea to help emergency personnel deal with the stress of their jobs. It may help reverse a high turnover ratio apparent in this region.

These are hard jobs that are critical to the community welfare. The public often encounters these people at stressful times as well, and may forget to thank these emergency warriors.

Policemen, firefighters, ambulance drivers, hospital staff and other emergency service providers deserve high praise for subjecting themselves to this kind of daily pressure and stress. They are community heroes who quietly about the job of saving lives each and every day.