Robert Avsec on LinkedIn: Fantastic news out of our USFA, National Fire Academy! A new avenue for… (2024)

Can't get any better than hearing Thomas Spooner, talk about his journey and about Warriors Heart. If you're a veteran, active duty military, or first responder (law enforcement, fire, EMS) and you're done suffering from addiction and PTS, there's no better place than Warriors Heart at either their San Antonio, TX or Milford, VA campuses.And if you're interested in working at either Warriors Heart campus, here's your link to their hiring application page, https://lnkd.in/gDKRfcHW

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Shout out to my newest connection here on LinkedIn, Elizabeth Pol, M.A., on the publication of her article on the value of psychological autopsies (PA) when a law enforcement officer dies by suicide. With both fire departments and EMS agencies experiencing growing numbers of personnel dying from suicide, why aren't we investigating these deaths using PA? Here's an except from her piece:The Psychological Suicide Autopsies are meant to answer 3 questions: Why Suicide? Why that day? Why those means? As we interview the various individuals closest to the deceased officer/first responder we are able to gather vital information that provides a narrative to better understand what occurred in this individual`s life.Information such as trauma, alcohol use/abuse, sleep deprivation, stress, interpersonal relationships, finances, coping skills, physical health, legal troubles, mental health issues, Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI), and the mismanaged use of psychotropic medications are key pieces of information that portray how an individual reached this point in their life.After gathering all of the data we are able to piece together and understand all of the risk factors that were present and how the decedent struggled with pain, lacked resources, experienced diminished or absent protective factors (such as support systems), psychological and physiological disturbances etc. Although the psych autopsy will not change the outcome, it does give some closure to family and friends and most importantly it gives us the opportunity to learn from these tragedies.Fire Service Psychology Association- Admin

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If you're not subscribing to the daily missives from historian, author, podcaster, and generally really smart person, Heather Cox Richardson, I highly recommend that you do so. This post from June 4th describes the genesis of the Marshall Plan that basically saved Europe following the devastation of World War II.

I've had the opportunity to sit in on two of these online networking meetings at the invitation of Alison Fienning and found them to be informative and educational. I highly recommend tuning in if your a clinician working with first responders, particularly firefighters, and especially if you're in the Mideast section of the U.S.

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This is what we do on LinkedIn--help a sister or brother out however we can, even if it's just helping to promote and amplify someone's message.

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Excellent podcast! Thank you, Frank Leeb for sharing this important information. I agree, nobody "rocks" the discussion on fire sprinklers like Shane Ray-!

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At the Fire Service Psychology Association- Admin, fire service leaders (Like and Dr. Burton A. Clark, EFO), psychologists, and masters-level clinicians are promoting the "5 Domains of Psychology" to the fire service: Assessments, Interventions, Industrial/Organizational (I-O), Operations, and Consultation.This wonderful graphic accurately depicts just 6 of the many aspects of I-O that could provide great benefits for fire departments and their people.Join us in helping to "bridge the gap between professional psychology and the fire service!" Become a member of FSPA today at www.firepsychology.org.

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Another good read from my fire service colleague, Gary Ludwig.Like many of you, I’ve been reading and hearing a lot about how we need to change the fire service culture. I’vewritten several blogsin the past on the subject. But meaningful change in that culture is only going to come about by knowing and understanding the role of clan behavior at the firehouse level.Fire department leaders are under tremendous pressure these days to recruit and retain more women and minorities so that the demographics of their departments more closely resemble the communities they serve. Many departments are finding that recruiting is the easier of the two to accomplish. But what good is it for a department to recruit and hire women and minorities, only to have them “fail” during entry-level training or during their first couple of years on the job?I submit for your consideration that fire department leaders will not find the “fix” until they recognize that those new members (outsiders) are being exposed to the behaviors and expectations of the firehouse clan from Day #1 with a department. Who’s teaching them in those entry-level training programs? Who’s working with them at the firehouse when they come on board?My take on it: Clan Behavior and its Influence on Fire Service Culturehttps://lnkd.in/gGa4AuBq

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