By Scott J. Croteau
Telegram & Gazette
WORCESTER, Mass. — They respond to shootings, fatal crashes and times when people are suffering the worst. Emergency responders, whether they are police, firefighters or emergency medical technicians, have to keep a calm head, assess situations and serve.
But there are times when the situation flips and emergency responders find themselves victims, or in the most recent case in Worcester, grievers.
Emergency responders can react like any other person. They can internalize pain, feel guilt, lose sleep or lash out. Their jobs may make them a little more resilient than others, but even they need help sometimes.
Many departments tap chaplains, officials trained in critical-incident stress management, and mental health professionals when a traumatic event rocks their staff.
Their businesslike look at a scene doesn’t stop them from being human inside.
“There’s really no difference between any citizen and a police officer when it comes to feeling the loss of a friend,” said Paxton Police Chief Robert B. Desrosiers, whose friend and chief, Robert J. Mortell, was killed in the line of duty in 1994. “Police officers are not another species. We may have another job description but we are made of the same genetic stuff.”
When news of Police Officer Mark D. Bisnette’s death circulated through the ranks of the Worcester Police Department, officials immediately set up grief counseling for officers.
The 38-year-old father of four died Jan. 2 on Reservoir Road in Holden when he lost control of his Ford Explorer, which crashed into a pole.
Friends who recalled the officer wept during interviews. Fellow officers met at Reservoir Street and put up a monument for him.
Victor Welzant, a psychologist and education director at the Maryland-based International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, said training varies from organization to organization, but peer support is essential in helping emergency responders deal with a traumatic event, whether it be the loss of a co-worker or stressful event such as a mass casualty.
“Peer-to-peer support, we found that works better than any other way of doing it,” Mr. Welzant said. “In general, police and fire within an agency are like a second family. When someone is lost I think it hits hard.”
Emergency responders have different duties from other workers, and peers can better relate. Sometimes when a ranking official shares his feelings, others might be more willing to share.
After Chief Mortell’s murder, police officers worked with one grief counselor who was an officer and a Vietnam veteran. He experienced the difficult times during the war and was more than book-schooled in helping others.
The International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, a nonprofit group whose aim is to prevent and mitigate stress through education, training and support, has been involved in training or advising teams during major events in the country.
Officers designated as part of critical-incident stress management teams can pick up on a person’s signs of stress, such as physical, emotional or behavioral changes. The foundation also encourages pre-incident training to let emergency responders understand ways to cope.
Sometimes a person might need more help, and private counselors are tapped. Chaplains also play a role in the process.
Shrewsbury Police Officer Scott S. Mentzer is a member of the department’s Critical Incident Stress Management Team and was an officer in Holden when Chief Mortell was shot and killed.
“We as emergency responders tend to be more stress-resistant than others,” he said. “A lot of what we are doing is we are letting them know they are having a reaction and it is normal.”
The foundation’s executive director, Donald Howell, a former Howard County battalion chief in Maryland, said his organization assisted a critical-incident stress-management network in Massachusetts during the 1999 Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse Co. building fire, in which six firefighters died.
Firefighters who responded to the blaze and searched the building’s rubble for days underwent counseling as well. Many firefighters recalled seeing co-workers retire early because of their friends’ deaths.
“Having critical stress management available prolonged my career,” Mr. Howell said. “Sometimes a psychologist might not work and peer-to-peer might open up more.”
Many departments have officers attend some kind of counseling or stress-management session after an event, such as if an officer is shot or shoots someone. People should not be forced to talk, however, Mr. Howell said.
The foundation says there are appropriate ways to cope. Physical exercise helps alleviate physical reactions, and it helps to understand that reactions to stress are normal.
Not all events that cause stress include a death. During the December 2008 ice storm, Paxton police found themselves working long hours.
“It was a lot of physical and emotional stress over a large period of time,” Chief Desrosiers said.
Some people hide their feelings, while others let them out. It varies from person to person. Different situations cause different reactions.
“The night of Bobby Mortell’s murder we met with the state police grief counselors. Initially it is a post-incident briefing. You really begin to let it out and talk about the situation,” the chief said. “I think it is necessary in some form. I think the sooner it happens the better.”
Copyright 2010 Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Inc.