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By: Robert Avsec, Executive Fire Officer This post has been simmering in my brain for quite some time and it wasn’t until I read Andrew Holter’s article, The Mission Statement, Core Values & Inclusion, that I found the catalyst I needed to “launch this rocket.” Is it just me or is the second most posted articles on fire and EMS ...

Battalion Chief Dena Ali recently had the distinct honor of delivering a keynote to the 13th Graduating Class of the Wake County (N.C.) Fire Academy. This is the first of two parts of her remarks to the graduating firefighters.

You can help support the 6th Annual Conference of the Fire Service Psychological Association with your tax-deductible donation. Help support improving mental health services for firefighters!

Psychological safety is the belief that you won’t be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes. At work, it’s a shared expectation held by members of a team that teammates will not embarrass, reject, or punish them for sharing ideas, taking risks, or soliciting feedback

We must do better in understanding what causes a firefighter to take their own life, and one place we need to start is by gaining a true picture of what leads a firefighter to take their own life. We can only gain that true picture by conducting research in the form of psychological autopsies, that is, using the proven tools and methodologies of psychology.

Why haven't the IAFF and IAFC included professional psychologists who are trained and experienced in police and public safety psychology in developing mental health and wellness standards for the fire service?

Why not introduce the young girls in your life to Ember and Molly this holiday season as a gift that shows them girls can grow up to be anything, especially a firefighter!

So, it's easy to see why athletes—be they amateur or professional—have embraced the sports psychologist as a “mental coach”—on par with their hitting coach or pitching coach for a baseball player--who can help them take their game to the next level. That next level being those same abilities alluded to by Jones: To have faith in their abilities to perform, to thrive in pressure situations, make good decisions under pressure, and then deliver physical performance. But athletes aren’t the only clients. Consider the rigors of performing surgery, for example. Doctors may need help gaining the confidence to return to the operating room after losing a patient. Actors or comedians may need support getting back on stage following a poor review

NFA Superintendent Eriks Gabliks opened the symposium with a great overview of what those changes to the campus included. The Superintendent began by highlighting how the COVID-19 pandemic had affected the NFA's operations. He noted that for just over a year, the campus had been shut down by the pandemic, but he quickly added that while the shutdown caused NFA to cancel on-campus deliveries, it didn't stop the NFA staff from training and educating members of fire service.

By: Robert Avsec, Battalion Chief (Ret.) and FSPA charter member The mission of the Fire Service Psychology Association is to provide the best standard of psychological care for fire service personnel and their families. The Fire Service Psychology Association (FSPA) will host its 5th Annual Conference on October 7, 2022 from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm PST. The conference will be an online event ...