Votre équipe est confrontée à une détresse émotionnelle lors d’une situation d’urgence. Comment pouvez-vous leur fournir le soutien dont ils ont besoin ?

Recognize and call out stress, don’t assume that because of title or tenure people may not experience stress. Ask people to be vulnerable and create that safe environment.

Remind them that they are the subject matter experts in their field, and that they possess the superpower to solve any problem, including elected officials. (A great reason to start a MAC group!) And, this incident is not about them, this is about the plan they wrote, exercised, modified, maintained, and actually read. Let the plan help you make good decisions. And, if it didn't work that is what the after action meeting is for and that box next to the coffee pot with the post it notes too. Everyone should stick to the 12 hour schedules or the brain gets foggy and forgets to follow the plan. Remind your team to eat well, stay healthy, and take the necessary time off. A Navajo is saying, you cannot help others if you are not strong.

Acknowledging the stress present is one of the best ways forward showing you care and are aware of what your team is going through without making them feel ashamed or feeling like they are weak. Encourage your team to share what's on their minds with you so you can address any potential problems right away.

First off, is the emotional distress is so great they can no longer perform their functions you must acknowledge it and find someone to take over or fill in. This is in both the entity's and employee's best interest. If they are able to work, you have to acknowledge their stress. Denying that it is not real or not happening is not going to help anyone. During the emergency continuous focus on the mission at hand and their specific skillset is imperative. Once the immediate incident is over, providing resources for help and checking in on them is a must.

One of the worst things you can do is to deny emotional distress or make light of it, causing team members to suppress their feelings. This can lead to negative outcomes. Instead, avoid denial, acknowledge the distress, and allow the psychological burden to be eased through open expression, empathy, and support from you and the rest of the team.

I would draw attention to the fact that resources and strategies may vary on the spectrum from direct "talk about your feelings" with a mental health professional to disengaging from talking or touching on the incident for a while. If you notice that someone is seriously traumatised but doesnt want to engage with the subject, give them space without disappearing, leave them alone but not unsupervised. Space and non-interventionism should be a resource available, too. Above all, know the team, and know the ways they co-op with hard feelings. Be there for your team and have earned trust. There are patterns but there are no universal "one size fits all" solutions.

Stop whining and start working, life is a stressful place. Why all the posts has to look like everyone is a sissie these days?

It goes past breaks. Set up a rotation. Team members should know how long they are expected to be on “go go go mode” and when to relax. Set the terms of rotations ahead of time.

Break the support down to manageable workloads and assign ownership to a team member. Also, assign backup owners. Consistently integrate “work-life balance” into sync meetings and respect team members time off. This will pay off in the long term due to the fresh perspective one gains when allowed to decompress. Trust is earned when one takes that time off and other team members step in and provides coverage. Everyone must maintain open communication .

I am speaking from a first responder perspective, and my responce here does not apply to civilians on the receiving end of an emergency. Actually, it is important to understand what is an appropriate definition of a break during the incident. Sometimes it is a pause for rest and recovery, other times it's a rotation, meaning that you're done and out. Breaks would be also connected to the amount of resource available (e.g., compressed air in your BA). We must also consider the psychological effect of perceived idleness during emergency, and the feeling of an emergency responder that he/she himself/herself is not doing their fair share in an "all hands on the deck" situation.

CISM training and use is invaluable and should definitely be included, without fail. Critical Incident Stress Management is a tool that would positively impact each individual involved at all levels. Some more than others of course, but this method of aid at the onset has the potential to mitigate possible life long psychological and emotional damage.