Creating Stress Management Programs For Firefighters - Essay Example

Stress management for Firefighters Organizational factors contributing to stress sin fire fighters are linked to their job demands and may include factors such as work load, stressful events, time pressure and a physically demanding working environment. (Dewe,1989). From an occupational perspective, those working in stressful situations such as firefighters, are categorized as “first responders” and they constitute an occupation-at-risk group. (Ussery and Waters, 2006). In his study, Dewe (1989) identifies potential sources of stress, i.e, the demands of the workplace that contribute to stress. However, he emphasizes the fact that if a stress management program is to be effective, then developing supports and providing resources is just as important as addressing the potential sources of stress. In his study of occupational stress, Dewe (1989) has also pointed out that traditional work-specific measures may have different structures for different occupational groupings, since the stressors may be different and may generate differing levels and types of stress. Therefore, it is necessary to go beyond the stress itself and discuss it in terms of its intensity, frequency and meaning. One of the findings that Dewe(1989) arrived at was that individuals who participated in the study expressed a need to discuss the frequency of work stressors and also the intensity of those stressors. He also states that stress should be viewed as relational in nature and he found that stressful organizational practices tended to remain unchallenged because there was a tendency to deflect responsibility away from the organization. Strategies identified by the participants to cope with work related stress also included changing, augmenting or enhancing their coping resources and responses.(Dewe 1989). Further research: The damaging effects of stress have been further corroborated in recent studies, which have shown that chronic exposure to stress at work may also produce stress related psychiatric disorders.(Dewa et al, 2007). Firefighters are exposed to a work environment where they are confronted with physical and emotional stress on a daily basis and therefore the incidence and potential for chronic work related stress leading to disabilities may be greater, thereby mandating a need to develop effective stress management programs. Exposure to chronic or acute stressors in the occupational environment produces burnout that reduces productivity so that officers are unable to deal with the problems of citizens in a constructive manner (Burke and Mikkelson, 2005). After the events of the World Trade Center took place on 9/11, Daniel Stewart, a 27 year old Fire Department medical technician hanged himself in the basement of the apartment, as a result of the continuous trauma he was subjected to in hauling out fire damaged body parts from the ruins of the World Trade Center.(Ussery and Waters, 2006). One of the stress causing factors that Ussery and Waters (2006) have identified in their study is the lack of emotional outlet for those high risk occupations that may be categorized as first responders, which would also include fire fighters. These individuals witness death, disfiguring of victims, injuries, wounds and pain on a daily basis but are forced by professional constraints to remain stoic and ever ready to face danger. Firefighters do not know what to expect when they rush into a burning building; the September 11th tragedy killed 400 firefighters (Ussery and Waters, 2006). The increasing pressures of the job and the lack of qualified candidates coming forward to take up positions as fire fighters adds to the stress of the few employees who are engaged in fire fighting services. Excessive workload due to a lack of organizational efficiency or work rotation may be an environmental stressor that would be relevant in the case of firefighters, which produces emotional exhaustion and depersonalization (Shirley 2006). The study conducted by Shirley (2006) has also found that stress victims appeared to be unaware of the effects of stress or proactive stress management strategies. This study therefore suggests that it may be necessary for organizational management to actively engage in programs that teach coping skills to those in high-pressure vocations and educate them on proactive stress management strategies they can use. Firefighters may be similarly lacking in awareness of coping skills that could help them deal with job related stress. This finding corroborates Dewe’s study that suggested the need for augmentation and modification of coping skills, which may need to be taught to persons in high stress occupations. A lack of social support appears to be a causal factor in burnout and the lack of support from supervisors and co-workers has been identified as contributing to additional stress among those in high pressure occupations such as fire fighting. (Halsebelen, 2006). These results also substantiate the findings of Dewe(1989) that stressful organizational practices may need to be identified and addressed in order to successfully help employees cope with stress. This may include a revamping of organizational practice or the hiring of more personnel to reduce individual workloads, instead of attributing stress related burnout to purely individual limitations and ignoring stress generating organizational practices. Ussery and Waters(2006) have also examined a stress intervention program that is specifically targeted towards first responders such as firefighters. Hotlines have been established where such first responders can call when they are feeling stressed out and speak to a brother or sister officer. Ussery and Waters(2006) have explained that this helps to address the initial resistance that is experienced by these first defenders in speaking about their problems. However, when they are able to speak with a fellow officer who has been through the same situations and therefore is able to understand the nature of their problems, it is an enormous relief to them and helps in an alleviation of stress. Therefore, establishing hotlines where fire fighters can speak to ex-fire fighters for instance would provide them with a vent for their stressful feelings and emotions. In a study that specifically examined burnout in fire fighters, Halbesleban et al (2006) have discussed collaborative action research as a method that may be efficacious in the reduction of burnout. Collaborative action research is a method whereby each participant participates actively in the research process, with each person contributing his or her unique perspective. A collaborative action research approach would therefore facilitate frequent and open communication between fire fighters and their supervisors as well as administrators and Government regulators, so that each would contribute their unique perspective in helping to address the problems of stress generated burnout among fire fighters. Small scale, intense collaborative action research studies can begin to uncover causal factors that are responsible for burnout, both in terms of individual susceptibility as well as organizational factors that could be contributing to high levels of chronic stress and burnout. Such a move would therefore successfully address the organizational limitations as causal factors in burnout that have been identified in Dewe’s study. Halbesleben et al (2006) demonstrate the efficacy of the collaborative action research approach in the context of the federal fire department and they have highlighted the potential benefits of this approach, which is a more holistic one that can be tailored to meet the needs of each individual organization. This approach may also serve to address the need identified by Dewe (1989) among participants in his study to communicate about the intensity and frequency of work stressors. When the environmental factors are included in the assessment of stress generating factors leading to burnout, and employee input is accepted, then the organizational set up can be improved in order to reflect lower levels of stress for employees and provide them the social support network that is required to avoid burnout and cope with work related stress. Bakker et al (2006) have suggested that certain individual personality traits may make an individual more resistant to burnout and therefore more suitable for work in high risk, high stress positions. For example, in their study, they identified the traits of high extraversion and low neuroticism as being well suited to volunteer positions in the human services area. They have also pointed that intensive, well structured training programs that help individuals in high stress positions to learn coping skills are effective in reducing burnout, because it helps them to control their negative reactions to work related stressful situations. This may be helpful in framing stress management programs for firefighters as well, since the selection procedures for fire fighters can be refined and improved such that only individuals who possess certain qualities such as low neuroticism and a greater level of emotional hardiness may be hired into these positions. If such individuals are also equipped with an adequate amount of training that equips them with effective coping skills in a high pressure environment, they may be better able to cope with the stressors they encounter during the course of carrying out their duties. Conclusion: On the basis of the above, it may be concluded that some of the limitations identified in the work environment by Dewe, as well as individual need to communicate about the intensity of stressors in the work environment have been addressed in recent studies, which have also corroborated the findings. The action based collaborative research approach appears to offer considerable potential in the realm of firefighting to produce a holistic approach to dealing with burnout in the workplace. The identification of desirable emotional traits in individuals during the selection process is a further measure that may be introduced, together with the social support in the organizational framework in order to reduce the incidence of burnout and in effective coping with stress. Another stress management technique that appears to be effective in the case of those individuals in high risk professions includes the establishment of a hotline where officers under stress can speak to brother or sister officers and discuss their problems. References: * Bakker, Arnold B, Van Der Zee, Karen I, Lewig, Kerry A and Dollard, Maureen F, 2006. “The relationship between the Big Five personality factors and Burnout: A study among volunteer counselors.” The Journal of Social Psychology, 146(1): 31-51 * Burke, R.J. and Mikkelsen, A, 2006. “Burnout among Norwegian police officers: Potential antecedents and consequences.” International Journal of Stress Management, 13(1): 64-86. * Dewa, Carolyn S, Lin, Elizabeth, Kooehoorn, Mieke and Goldner, Elliot, 2007. “Association of chronic work stress, psychiatric disorders and chronic physical conditions with Disability among workers.” Psychiatric Services, 58(5): 652 * Dewe, P, 1989. “Developing stress management programs: What can we learn from recent research?” Occupational Health and Safety, 5(6) : 493-500 * Halbesleben, Jonathon R. B., Osburn, Holly K, Mumford, Michael D, 2006. “Action Research as a Burnout Intervention: Reducing Burnout in the Federal Fire Service.” Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 42(2): 244-26 * Halbesleben, J.R.B., 2006. “Sources of Social Support and Burnout: A meta analytic test of the conservation of resources model.” Journal of Applied Psychology, 91(5): 1134-1145 * Shirley, Maria R, 2006. “Stress and Coping in Nurse Managers: Two decades of research.” Nursing Economics, 24(4): 193-202 * Ussery, William J and Waters, Judith A, 2006. “COP-2-COP Hotlines: Programs to address the needs of First responders and their Families.” Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention, 6:66-78 Read More