Thread by @JimWhittington

Some have said this was wildland fire’s 9/11. I don’t know. I do know our community was in shock and the huge assistance from @FDNY was a steadying force as we built towards the memorial service. #DATM 1/

Also, @LACoFDPIO sent all members of their Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) program to help the IMT working the fire and all the personnel planning for the memorial service. #DATM 2/

I debated about seeing a CISM peer. I didn’t think I needed it. I finally decided to go so I could talk about the experience in classes I teach. It took me about 20 seconds in to realize I’d been lying to myself and I did need it. #DATM 3/

There’s nothing earth-shattering that happens. It’s not touchy-feely. Just a peer having a conversation about what you’re experiencing. For me, I felt guilty because I kept thinking about the Iron 44 incident when I felt I should be more focused on Granite Mountain. #DATM 4/

I learned that was normal—our brain takes us back to the first similar traumatic experience. The whole 25-minute CISM session was just acknowledging our human response to tragedy and trauma. It helped and it helped when I got home too. #DATM 5/

The stress from serious accidents and fatalities can be primary, secondary, or tertiary. You don’t have to be on scene. It can be felt at the organizational level when the org experiences trauma. Critical incident stress is also cumulative. #DATM 6/

If you have a critical incident, get CISM support lined up. It makes a personal difference & it strengthens your org over the long-term by providing folks the language and tools to help them manage stress & prevent burn-out. #DATM 7/

If you have anything to do with response, you will eventually encounter death, be it public or responder. #DATM 8/

The time to prepare for that is beforehand, not during. Be honest with yourself, take stock, and consider whether you’re in a good place to work a fatality. There’s no shame in disengaging if that’s what is best for you. #DATM 9/

Likewise, there’s no honor in pushing through if you’re not in a good place. We have too few good people doing this work—we can’t afford to have anyone burn out. #DATM 10/

If you just got divorced or a parent is sick or it’s a bad anniversary or your pet just died, it doesn’t matter. If you need to disengage, then disengage. It’s OK. #DATM 11/

Maybe next time you’ll be on solid ground and someone else can disengage. Cultivate trusted friendships who can tell you what you can’t see. Again, be honest with yourself. We’re all in this together. Take care of yourself and others. #DATM /12

Since I figured that out, I’ve both accepted and turned down fatality assignments. I don’t believe anyone thinks lesser of me for the ones I turned down but if you think that might happen, the time to start changing your org’s culture is now. #DATM 13/13