I shall not live in vain;
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Unto his nest again, Emily Dickinson
In this two-part series, the authors will shed a refocused light on crisis coping and the emotional challenges faced by EMS every day even prior to the psychologically fatiguing COVID-19 pandemic. They will share examples of new, realistically sustainable initiatives that can better support the psychological well-being of our EMS and other public safety families on the frontlines worldwide now and going forward.
The impact of EMS responses on the mental well-being of public safety personnel was appreciated long before the COVID-19 pandemic, but frank discussion about best practices in mitigation and interventions were largely lacking.