Those working in public safety and emergency response are exposed to significantly more stress and trauma-inducing critical incidents than the general population. Numerous efforts are being implemented by agencies in order to address the impact of these critical incidents – from wellness programs, peer support groups, to professional resources made available to the workforce. This webinar will explore another type of initiative that agencies can adopt to better support and address the needs of their most important assets.

This session’s instructor is Adam Leath, the Director of Volusia County Animal Services and former Regional Director of the Field Investigations and Response Team at the ASPCA. Adam investigates and responds to natural disasters and cruelty situations involving animals and led one of the largest operations in ASPCA history that involved the seizure of over 1,000 animals.

Specifics of Adam’s discussion are about:

• The limitless supply of stress in the world, particularly for those working in the animal welfare field.
• Defining critical incidents and stress and the varying levels and ways that these may affect people.
• How those in helping professions tend to think that they are not as deeply impacted by critical incidents and fail to recognize and address how these manifest in their lives.
• A glimpse into the Volusia County’s CISM team – the agencies that are represented within and the reason for the composition of the team.
• Getting involved in or creating your local CISM team, the value of investing in the most important assets and resources of your organization, and how this translates to better service to the community.
• Examples of critical incident stress that today’s ACO may be exposed to, and how the Volusia County CISM provided support to the responders following the incidents.
• The situations that entail calling for CISM support.
• A step-by-step look into the two primary procedures conducted by the CISM team in response to critical incidents and to address critical incident stress.
  • Defusings that are done within 12 hours following the initial incident to provide immediate stabilization, support, information, and resources to manage the critical incident stress.
  • Debriefings that are done within 24 to 72 hours following the incident to dive into long-term coping strategies geared towards recovery and integration back into the workplace.
• The limitations of CISM – that is not meant to replace therapy, is not a type of psychotherapy, and is not being used by supervisors and leaders to find fault in the workforce.
• Why those not experiencing critical incident stress should join CISM activities.
• Taking the Mental Health First Aider course in an effort to look out after one another, recognize warning symptoms and red flags early on, create dialogue, and know the resources available.

Points tackled in the webinar Q&A are about:

• CISM teams in Canada, the courses to take, and creating the teams.
• Trainings available for family members of first responders to help them better understand the nuances of work in the public safety sector.
• Cross-training across different first responder agencies and getting involved in these inter-agency efforts.
• EAP programs for animal welfare and control agencies.
• Differentiating critical incident stress from compassion fatigue.
• The importance of the 12-hour mark for defusing and the difference between defusings and debriefings.
• Advocating for the adoption of CISM concepts and procedures in institutions that are resistant to change.

Other Webinars with This Speaker

• Video Testimony: The Virtual Courtroom for the ACO
• Tools, Tips and Tricks for the ACO: Lessons Learned from the Field
• Critical Incident Stress Management for the ACO (this webinar)
• May 10: Proactive Responses to the Community’s Concerns: Successes in the Field for Today’s ACO’s
• June 28: Rescuing the “Rescuer:” The Challenging World of Hoarders

Or click here to view and register for other upcoming NACA  webinars on the JCH Platform.

Resources and Handouts

• Handout: National Resource Guide
• Handout: Mental Health First Aid  Resources
• Handout: Resources

Audience Comments

• “EXCELLENT! Thank You.” — Ophelia
• “The whole Webinar was very informative.” — Rhonda
• “Just glad there is awareness and the host is opening the door and sending the message that there is help and its normal.” — Rebecca
• “This was a valuable reminder that self-care is paramount. I will recommend it to my supervisor and peer support team colleagues. Keep up the great work!!” — Selena
• “The presentation and resources were great. He gave a great overview of the purpose of CISM & how this process works to check in with persons after a critical incident, helps with getting individuals stabilized, deal with their personal reaction, begin the healing process, providing them with resources for further assistance and helping them with reentry. Great that everything is confidential which removes a barrier to getting help. Important note that CISM teams should be developed in advance.” — Marilyn
• “The efects of the animal control jobs in relation to stress. I’m CISM trained but this was a great refresher!” — Susan
• “This was a valuable reminder that self-care is paramount. I will recommend it to my supervisor and peer support team colleagues. Keep up the great work!!” — Selena

This webinar has been certified by the National Animal Care & Control Association and is approved for 1 Continuing Education Unit. Please refer to your NACA membership portal for current CEU submission process. Current NACA Members who attend the live presentation or watch the recording will be able to download a jointly issued attendance certificate that includes the National Animal Care & Control Association logo. Visit the NACA training page for a complete list of future trainings.