Preparing for the Stress of Disasters and Mass Emergencies - Federal Emergency Responders

Employees Action to Reduce and Manage Stress

5. Minimizing Stress During the Disaster Response

5.1 Individual Actions During the Crisis

It is normal for an experience emergency responder to have stress reactions during an event.  Here are few reminders about stress reduction measures during a disaster:

• Work within established safety and security policies and procedures;
• Adhere to the team schedules and rotation;
• Remember there can be cycles of high activity and periods of waiting, even boredom, in a disaster;
• Accept that there are things you cannot change such as the organizational structure, the chain of command, media scrutiny, equipment malfunctions;
• Regular nutritious meals and adequate sleep protects you and your team;
• Avoid mood altering foods or substances such as alcohol, tobacco, excessive sugar and caffeine;
• Relaxation techniques include deep breathing, distracting oneself using healthy outlets and activities such as exercise, reading or listening to music;
• If there are gruesome incidents, focus on the task and the important role your job plays in supporting and helping grieving family members;
• Regular contact with your family and friends can be supportive and offer mutual re assurance that everyone is safe, particularly in a long recovery phase;
• Pace yourself according to both the immediate and long term workload;
• Establish routines to unwind or decompress between shifts especially in long rescue - recovery phases;
• Keep an eye out for your own and co-workers' safety; and
• Be aware of heightened feelings or of identifying with the victim.

5.2 Family Considerations if the Disaster is Affecting Your Community:

• Be aware of the impact on your children;
• Parents can let them know it is ok to ask questions and talk to you;
• Talk to them about how the community is protecting and helping people; and
• Reassure them about their own safety and safety of you and your spouse.
• Keep in mind that seeing and hearing too much disaster related news might be distressing to your children.
• The best way to understand your children's reactions is for parents to watch or read the news together with their children and talk about the events; and
• Be open to any of the children's questions about the parent working at the disaster scene.