Long thread on long incidents:
There are few public health workers, medical personnel, emergency managers, & responders who have solid experience working a long-term incident. That is, an incident of more than a few days. 1/
There are few public health workers, medical personnel, emergency managers, & responders who have solid experience working a long-term incident. That is, an incident of more than a few days. 1/
There are extended recovery efforts, but aside from wildfires & maybe Midwest floods, we don’t have a lot of incidents that require a constant & immediate response over weeks or months. 2/
As we head into the #COVID19US outbreak, there are many in critical roles who will be working with a response mindset for much longer than they ever have before. Long-term incidents demand a different perspective for both personal well-being & organizational success. 3/
On the personal level, fatigue weakens our bodies physically and leads to diminished decision-making capacity. We’re also more susceptible to stress, which is cumulative. Stress can come from many places including worry about our families & our community. 4/
For those working a long-term incident, the constant compression of time & the burden of expectations (Make it better!) are huge stressors. As is the overwhelming scope of the problem you’re facing. 5/
In the wildland fire world, we have a 2-1 work/rest requirement. If you work 16 hours, you must go down for 8. We’re also limited to working 14 straight days without a day off. After a day off, you can work 7 more days, but then you must take 2 days off. 6/
If you do four or five 14-21 day assignments from June-Oct, it’s exhausting. To do it all in one stretch is even more difficult. Yet that’s what we may be asking many to do with #COVID19. If that’s the case, 16 on & 8 off will not work. 7/
You will need to increase the down time & provide for regular days off. We can’t afford to needlessly burn out folks. There are too few people in these positions as it is. The personal burden is to be honest with yourself. Yes, duty calls, but it’s OK to drop off for a bit. 8/
When you come back, maybe someone else will need extra time away. You also must be honest with your coworkers. Watch out for them. Make sure they are doing the right things to take care of themselves. They’re under stress too. 9/
A few hints from a Fire guy: Stepping out for a 5-minute walk around the building helps. A few deep breaths in a dark closet helps. A good joke helps. Keeping in touch with your loved ones helps. Listening to an Al Green song helps. 10/
Many things can help, but it is up to you to know when you should take that break. Know yourself and take the break before you really need it. It’s like water in the desert. Don’t wait until you’re thirsty. 11/
If you’re suddenly thrown into a cranking incident, know that sometime between day 4 & day 6, you will hit a wall, a low point where the fatigue & stress will come to the fore. This will make you miserable and people will think you are cranky. 12/
You can’t avoid this, but you can mitigate it. Take those breaks, get good sleep, recognize it for what it is. Do what you can to avoid a sharp drop. After the first wall, the rest are not as difficult to contend with. 13/
Organizationally, there are ways to approach long-term incidents. First, have your team processes worked out. That means not only roles well defined, but a process for information sharing, decision-making, & communicating decisions. 14/
Set up how people will ask questions & who gets to pause current ops & how. If you need to figure it out in the middle of an incident, it adds to the stress. Do it beforehand so the majority of stress comes from the incident, not how you & the team will manage the incident. 15/
Second, get in a routine. In the Incident Command System (ICS) world, the routine is determined by the planning schedule where you have set time frames for creating the plan, validating the plan, and communicating the plan. This routine helps everyone manage their day. 16/
Even if they are not part of the planning process, the battle rhythm of the day for all responders is defined by the planning process. Once the planning process is set, stick with it. The more complex the incident, the more important planning becomes. 17/
The planning process also helps as people transition in & out, providing a consistent way to keep them informed of the big picture & the goals you’re all working towards. 18/
If you’re working a local response, the tendency is to try to do it all yourself. You can keep that up for a short while, but not for the duration that #COVID19 may demand. Ask for help before you need it. 19/
Make training a priority to get others up to speed. One key to a resilient organization is an appropriate redundancy so key positions are always staffed. That redundancy can come from internal or outside resources. Use both if you need it. 20/
In addition to your personal self and org, an extended incident will have an affect on others in your community. For example, when I’m working as a Liaison Officer on a fire, one of my first tasks is to check in on local law enforcement. 21/
They’re used to dealing with stressful situations, but most of those are of short duration that don’t affect friends, community, & family. A few weeks with their town losing homes, evacuations in place, & their family in a neighboring town is a new experience for many. 22/
Likewise for officials, stakeholders, the public, & even media. Every interaction you have on an incident is going to be with someone under stress. It’s inevitable some won’t handle it well, so we try to give them good mental slides. 23/
It helps put things in perspective & break down the stresses they’re feeling. When talking with others, try to help them manage their stress by honest communications & drawing them into your process. A routine will help them too.
Here's a blog post: incident-services.com/anchorpointblo… 24/
Here's a blog post: incident-services.com/anchorpointblo… 24/
The stresses never go away, but if you reduce them to small, identifiable chunks, you're not carrying the whole weight. Everything--daily actions/team processes/planning schedule/positional responsibilities--has some role in stress management for individuals & the group. 25/
When we’re under stress & faced with the uncertain, we look for refuge in the familiar. That can be a trap in a large, complex incident and it is why you want a solid information gathering process that leads to a common operating picture that leads to good decision-making. 26/
Finally, don’t assume that the systems and processes you have for short term incidents are the best to deal with a complex long-term incident. Look for those weak points, learn from small failures, and try to identify the vulnerabilities in your approach. 27/
Strive to be a learning organization, which encourages leadership at all levels, promotes honesty, tolerates disagreement, shares lessons learned, and is strong enough to fully identify a tough problem and figure it out. Rely on ICS when you can and each other when needed. 28/
We're all in this together. Take care of yourselves, take care of each other, stay passionate about what you do, and make good decisions. 29/29
Wow! Obviously, I wrote this for a specific audience & I never thought it would get read outside of a small portion of my small group of followers. I'm grateful for all the likes, retweets, & new follows, especially from those of you beyond my initial narrow vision. Thanks all.
