The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Health Affairs (OHA) has released guidance to EMS systems on force protection and stress management amid hurricane recovery efforts. With Hurricane Sandy and the related recovery work taking a toll on the first responder (emergency services) community, EMS systems in impacted areas along the Eastern Seaboard must take steps to ease the stress on their personnel, mitigate burnout, and ensure that immediate challenges do not become long-term problems. The importance of taking care of responders with empathy and support as they serve their communities cannot be overemphasized, especially in the aftermath of a catastrophic event such as Hurricane Sandy. EMS systems must limit the psychological fallout their personnel experience for the sake of compassion and to ensure the system can carry out its mission. Click here to download guidance from DHS Office of Health Affairs.

http://www.nasemso.org/documents/GuidancetoEMSSystems.pdf