Mental health can be a touchy subject in the fire service but one that must be discussed. As a new officer who completed firefighter promotion you have the opportunity to create a safe space for your crew, physically and mentally. Here are some ways to create a mentally healthy firestation.
How to Make a Mentally Healthy Fire Station
As firefighters, you see a lot of things can cause a strong emotional response. However, many firefighters have been taught they need to shove those emotions back down and forget about them instead of acknowledging them and seeking help when needed. As a new leader in the fire service you have the opportunity to create a fire house that isn’t built on pretending all is well when it's not. You can promote mental health in the same way physical health is promoted, creating a stronger team bond and overall healthier firefighters, both physically and mentally.
Promote Physical Health
Mental health and physical health go hand in hand, so as a new leader, a great way to promote mental health is to also promote and support physical health. You can start to promote physical health by focusing on nutrition, exercise, and sleep. You can do this by creating nutritious meal menus with your crew while on shift and talking about nutrition and the benefits of a balanced diet. Staying hydrated is also critical to a balanced diet so encourage and model drinking water throughout shifts to keep yourself and crew hydrated and healthy. In addition, you can plan training sessions and work out sessions together with your whole crew to keep everyone's body moving and active. As well, sleep is a critical aspect in both physical and mental health and is something most firefighters on duty don’t get enough of. Encouraging and allowing for, as much as possible, healthy sleep while on duty can go a long way. Promoting a balanced diet, encouraging exercise, and allowing for the best sleep possible are great starting points to creating a mentally safe space for your crew.
Encourage Open Communication
Open communication is key to creating a safe mental space for your crew. Encourage your crew to talk about what happened on the scene of an incident, not just the facts of what went down, but also how it affected them. You can start the conversation as an overview of just the technical stuff, what worked and what didn’t. Then you move on and encourage your crew to share their feelings about what happened and what they saw. Show them that it is okay to talk openly, about not just the facts of the call, but also the impact it had on them. You as the leader will likely have to be the one to start this conversation and get vulnerable first. The more you do this, the more routine it will become. This extends beyond just emotional calls. You should encourage open communication for other issues such as big things happening on or off the job, or smaller things like issues with equipment or needing help with a task. Open communication builds trust and understanding among coworkers, which makes employees feel good being at work and actually want to be there. People knowing they have someone to go to when they need it creates a safe space to work, learn, and grow.
Be Inclusive of All
We live in a world where not everyone feels safe all of the time because of many factors, such as skin color, religion, sexual orientation and so on. You have the opportunity as a leader in the fire service to create a space of inclusivity for all. Doing so can have a huge positive impact on the mental health of your crew and community members who may not feel safe everywhere they go, but do in your fire station. Knowing they work in a space where they don’t have to watch their back or fear being judged by their coworkers for who they are takes a lot of pressure off a person and allows for less anxiety and stress. When you leave the station you have little control, but in the station you can ensure your firefighters feel safe and included.
Provide Access to Mental Health Support
The most important way to support a mentally healthy fire station is to advocate and help provide access to mental health support. Mental health support may be something that is already available to you through your insurance or station. If mental health support is not provided or encouraged in your station, see how you can change that. You can have a list of mental health providers such as therapists and psychiatrists in your insurance networks. You can post about peer support groups and other firefighter mental health support groups in common areas. If you are trying to create a safe mental space for your firefighters you likely see or have seen a mental health provider yourself, so talk about it in whatever way you are comfortable with. You don’t have to share details of your care, but simply saying you have seen someone to support you through a tough time is beneficial. Stigmas exist around mental health in the fire service, but the only way to get rid of them is to talk openly and honestly about mental health and mental health support.
Know the Signs of Burnout
Not everyone will be open to all of the ideas mentioned above, which may lead to burnout among your crew. You cannot force anyone to talk about their feelings or seek professional help after experiencing a traumatic call, but you can be aware of the signs of burnout and emotional fatigue and support those who need help but may not be able to ask for it directly. These signs present in many different ways, such as physical symptoms of illness, fatigue, mood swings, emotional outbursts, job errors, and so on. The person simply could seem off. As an officer in the fire service you should be able to tell if someone is having an off day or acting off. Being an officer that has created a safe mentally healthy space for your firefighters, they should be able to come to you. If they do not, you can go to them and do a check in to see if they are just having a bad day or need more support. It is important to get on top of burnt out firefighters to get them the support they need before things escalate.
The Takeaway
Work in the fire service comes with a lot of trauma. This is not something everyone in the fire service is comfortable talking about. You as a new leader in the fire service have a beautiful opportunity to help reduce the stigma associated around firefighter mental health and create a safe fire station for all firefighters.