Caring for the caregivers
The Fox Valley cares for its professional emergency workers and how they cope with tough emotional situations through Critical Incident Stress Management. Providing support for peers by peers, the Fox Valley Critical Incident Stress Management Team helps emergency service personnel who work daily with death and serious injury manage the serious emotional and mental stress that often results from responding to a critical incident.
The team maintains confidentiality at all times, respects the feelings of the professionals who seek their help, and offers their professional services free of charge. The program is open to EMS providers, police officers, fire fighters, dispatchers and others who are engaged in critical incidents.
The Fox Valley CISM team is comprised of more than 40 people who work in various areas of emergency services. Peer counselors are trained to recognize and deal with critical incident stress. Services include pre-incident education, and group and/or crisis intervention, referrals and resource information.
Gold Cross is proud to serve on the FVCISM board and to provide 24-hour access to help through its dispatch center. To learn more about preventive information and education, call Katie Halbach, program liaison, at (920) 967-6073 or email khalbach@goldcross.org.
DonateEmergency services personnel are increasingly aware that the unique stressors encountered in their occupations take a toll on the quality of their lives.