RICHMOND, Va. — Richmond Ambulance Authority (RAA) Training Manager, Shannon Daniel, has been selected by the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation to receive the 2017 Excellence in Training & Education award. The award, to be presented this week at the 14th World Congress on Stress Trauma and Coping in Baltimore, is given to commemorate an individual’s exemplary dedication and commitment to critical incident stress management.
Shannon is one of the founding members of the RAA Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) team and is regularly on call to offer assistance to not only RAA’s operational staff but also to other agency members of the Richmond public safety community. RAA’s Chief Clinical Officer and coordinator of the CISM team, Wayne Harbour said, “Shannon has been a cornerstone of our debriefing program that has extended to our own staff and public safety partners. She is always ready to lead a debrief, which she does with compassion and willingness to go the extra mile for all involved.”
Shannon’s passion runs so deep that she has also made the area of CISM and the management of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) the subject of the PhD studies she is currently undertaking. Her knowledge and experience, combined with her Masters in Education, has meant that she is also an in-demand speaker on both the local and national circuits. She has presented at the EMS World Expo – the largest EMS conference in North America - and the Professional Development Conference at FEMA’s National Fire Academy.
Locally, she is a regular speaker at the annual Virginia EMS Symposium and many other local events.
Shannon was instrumental in the recent creation and production of an EMS awareness video created by the Virginia Department of Health’s Office of EMS to familiarize and educate first responders to CISM, Peer Support and PTSD.