Unpacking

Not long ago I was speaking with a friend of mine whom I know to be a compassionate person.  During the course of the conversation, I mentioned that I was going to be introducing my boss to some folks interested in bringing relaxation meditation to our place of business in the interest of the folks whom I currently serve as part of a wellness team.  This friend of mine got a horrified look on their face and exclaimed something to the effect of “You have lost your $#&%*!& mind with this!  They don’t want that.  They just need to go to work and do their job!”  Although I did initially find the comment rude and condescending, I thought about it and did not take the outburst personally, but it does warrant some “unpacking”.

To begin with, it is entirely possible (however improbable) that I have lost sight of what is important and the idea of bringing relaxation meditation to a group of overworked, highly stressed public safety communications operators is, in fact, lunacy.  Is it possible that I have lost sight of the mission and I am now too focused on “touchy feely” crapola?  After some consideration, I don’t think so.

For many years I have believed that abdication of one’s oath of office for whatever reason (laziness, fear, public sentiment etc.) is dishonorable.  That is not to say that it is dishonorable to take a break on occasion from hard charging.  That is healthy, wise and doesn’t mean that you have abandoned your oath of office.  If you take a position as a warrior servant, it should be with open eyes and a clear-headed understanding of what is expected of you.  You are to go in harm’s way. Anyone who worked with me in my previous law enforcement career was likely subjected to that opinion on numerous occasions.  Most will not be surprised that it has not wavered much.  Hiding and not doing your job (not just pulling back because you need to temporarily) is a violation of your oath of office and is dishonorable.  Period. In the case of PSCO’s, they vicariously (vicarious trauma discussed in a previous post) go in harm’s way.  Where I work, they do so on 12 hour shifts to the tune of 1,200 to 1,300 calls to our switchboard every 24 hours (with an average of 3-5 call takers per shift).  Their chain of command expects them to honorably uphold their end of the bargain, recall the vital role they play in the first responder community and keep in mind the gravity and incredible import of what they do.  In other words, they are absolutely expected to “just do their job”.  However, along with management’s expectations, and in recognition of what they do, they are provided access to a small but eager wellness team who works hard to care for them.

Wellness is kind of a “squishy” word.  It’s easy when speaking or hearing it to visualize hand holding, pacifiers and lots of “there there”.  In spite of that “squishy” feel to it, first responder wellness teams know what the real mission is.  We are there to help people who work in dangerous, stressful jobs cope with the dangers, stresses and traumas and be able to function.  If we are lucky, maybe those first responders making use of a wellness program might even benefit to the degree that they thrive, are happier and live longer for having done so.  What is the consequence of ignoring the silent hazards of the profession?  Decreased job performance, weight gain, depression, anxiety, PTSD, absenteeism, shorter life expectancy, substance abuse, shortened life expectancy and increased suicide rates to name a few.

Now, consider this; when I was a child, there were no shoulder harnesses in cars.  Most had lap belts and no one had ever heard of a child safety seat.  I dimly recall loading about twelve deep in our neighbor’s station wagon to go places.  No problem.  Now, after loads of scientific evidence, years of unnecessary carnage and death, most of us would never even consider getting into an automobile without buckling up and we damn sure buckle our little ones in the best child safety seat that we can lay our hands on.  Is that what is happening here?  Do we have members of our first responder/military/PSCO and veteran community who are stuck in the lap belt era where warrior servant mental health is concerned?

When members of our warrior servant community raise their right hand, swear an oath and go to work in these vital capacities, they enter into an agreement with the public whom they serve to go in harm’s way when called to do so.  The public and the organizations for whom they work also have a couple of vital responsibilities.  First, the organization owes the warrior servant a clear-eyed vision of the risks involved in service.  This should include not only the physical hazards, but an understanding of the psychological risks and the dangers that we are now aware of stemming from prolonged exposure to stress and trauma.  If the warrior servant is then willing to go in harm’s way, the public and the organizations have the moral responsibility to provide metaphorical shoulder harnesses, air bags, child safety seats and ABS in the way of reasonable care for the warrior servants when they are exposed to what we now know is life altering (and shortening) risks. I am lucky enough to work within an organization and among other organizations who have taken that responsibility seriously and provide for their people.

When I started in law enforcement there was a recognition of risks.  Hell, I recall my recruit group even bringing our spouses/other halves to a meeting with our agency psychiatrist so we could all discuss the risks.  That was the lap belt in the station wagon loaded with neighborhood kids.  Now we know better and therefore better is expected of us.  Merely training someone to do the job, telling them to have at it and expecting that they will “just do their jobs” is no longer realistic.  I’ll go as far as to say that it might be irresponsible and if employers were to actually try that, employees would complain bitterly that they were not supported.  I am not advocating hand holding.  If you have taken on the responsibility of going in harm’s way, then we all rely on you to do just that!  What I am saying is that with all that we have learned over the years, the mountains of science, reems of anecdotal evidence and personal stories, we also absolutely owe it to these warrior servants to make a reasonable damn effort to keep them healthy and make sure they have at least a shot at a healthy retirement from these jobs.  We lose too many to violence, illness, and suicide.

I think I’ll continue to buckle up and resist the temptation to look back at the lap belt and station wagon era with a nostalgic eye.