How can you provide effective peer support to emergency responders from different cultures?

Peer support programs are vital for emergency responders coping with the complexities of crises. Responders must often remain composed and make critical decisions swiftly, yet the aftermath of such events can be psychologically taxing. As they reflect on their actions and replay traumatic scenes, self-doubt and distress may surface. This is where critical incident peer support representatives play a crucial role, offering empathy and reassurance that such reactions are normal responses to abnormal circumstances. They advocate for positive coping mechanisms like exercise or hobbies, discourage harmful behaviors such as substance misuse, and guide individuals towards professional mental health services for additional support.

Peer support is a lifeline for first responders navigating the emotional complexities of their demanding roles. Confronted with volatile and traumatic scenes, sharing these challenges with family is often intricate due to context. The fear of upsetting loved ones or being perceived as unable to handle the job may lead responders to internalize emotions. In such instances, peer support offers a confidential space where colleagues, sharing similar professional experiences, provide understanding. This connection fosters camaraderie and serves as an important coping mechanism for the psychological strains in their demanding field.

Culture is what shaped us to be who we are today. Understanding a person's culture and being sensitive to it can help break possible barriers and reduce vulnerabilities that would be present. A person's culture contributors can be family, peers, racial affiliations, religious groups, nationalities, team sports and other hobby groups, etc. Understanding a person or group's culture can give you some credibility within that circle so that is why culture is so important within emergency management.

I was a Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class (FMF) in the Navy, and my last deployment was to the southern Philippines. One of my assignments was to instruct Filipino Marines and medics on how to treat battle and heat related injuries. That ended up being a two-way exchange of practicing. Since the group I was with did not have the funding or supplies I had, they were forced to improvise. Although I instructed many courses when I was attached to them, I almost learned more from them than they did for me; I respect and cherish that experience.

Adaptation is paramount for any instructor in any learning environment; if you don't adapt to your audience, they either won't listen to you or they won't understand you. Either way, you've failed. Adapting derives from a combination of interacting with your peers to learn their interests and what motivates them and reading body language. Since more than half of human communication is non-verbal, it is crucial for an instructor to pick up on cues that may suggest a change in instructional direction; that could range from your choice of vernacular to simply your tone of voice.

No matter what culture you come from, we are a nation united in one melting pot. Whether it’s mudslides out in the Pacific Northwest, wildfires in the southwestern United States, tornadoes in the Midwest, blizzards in the northeast, hurricanes in the southeast, or any form of terrorist threat in between— no matter what emergency disaster strikes your community of cultures, it is essential to take care of those who take care of you. Respond first to first responders. Have designated first strike teams to support your phase-1 responders to check on their own homesteads before tending to the public’s. This way they can function and preform with minimum distraction and maximum focus. This will unleash efficiency and effectiveness of your team.

There are times when you can unintentionally be your own instructor. When I was nineteen years old, I hadn't been an EMT for a full year when I wrote a patient care report while en route to the hospital. Years later, the nature of that call landed all parties involved in civil court. When I was called to the stand, I learned I made a critical mistake when I wrote three simple words in my report: "Patient was intoxicated." I made a subjective statement based solely off my interpretations, and my credibility that day was torn to shreds. To this day I have never in my life been more humiliated than I was that afternoon. But that lesson stuck with me; I learned the hard way what it means to be objective. I use this example when teaching.