Resilience Strategies for First Responders

Resilience Strategies for First Responders

The Texas Police Chiefs Association's Officer Safety Committee and the TML Risk Pool are providing a Resilience Strategies for First Responders program in Midland on February 21, 2024. This program is provided at no charge, but registration is required.  

Public safety employees should find this course to be effective in preparing them or their entity for challenges associated with mental resiliency.

In response to the number of injuries and fatalities impacting the Texas law enforcement community, and in an effort to positively impact officer safety, the Texas Police Chiefs Association (TPCA) and its Officer Safety Committee established the VINCIBLE program in 2015. VINCIBLE has been hugely successful in increasing awareness of exposures and increasing officer safety through weekly Roll Call PowerPoints. As an extension to that program, the Safety Committee and the TML Risk Pool are jointly providing these training programs since the content supports the VINCIBLE cornerstones. See https://www.vincible.org/ for more information on the VINCIBLE program. 

Note:  Lunch will be provided.

Resilience Strategies for First Responders is designed for police personnel, fire department personnel, emergency medical personnel, communications officers, animal control officers, and code compliance officers operating in today's difficult environment. This course provides a comprehensive examination of the types of stress that first responders face, including intrinsic dangers such as depression, PTSI, and relationship issues, as well as the predictable changes and challenges in a typical public safety environment.

Since these issues impact the individual on a professional, personal, emotional, and physical level, this course focuses on developing a better understanding and learning strategies to regulate them for optimum performance. Particular emphasis is placed on developing survival strategies that allow for a healthy career in public safety and a long and enjoyable retirement.

Topics of Discussion:

• Statistics on the toll of a career
• The career "cycle"
• The science behind the trauma (hypervigilance, compensatory efforts)
• Understanding stress
• Specifics of stress for first responders law enforcement (compassion fatigue, PTSI)
• Burnout
• Addressing stress (physical techniques, relaxation response, EMDR, sleep, mental techniques, preventive measures

See video below for a preview!

Who Should Attend? Any law enforcement personnel, fire department personnel, EMS personnel, communications operator, animal control officer, and code enforcement officer. Spouses/significant others are welcome.