Ambulance Victoria’s commitment to protecting the emotional and mental wellbeing of its staff enters a new era from today, with the launch at Nagambie of a new and revised DVD on psychological first aid.
Ambulance Victoria’s (AV) well-respected Peer Support Program is behind the updated DVD, which is designed to help staff recognise when they might need to seek help for themselves or a colleague.
Peer Support coordinator David Cooper said that the new DVD was produced because the program is now it’s so well established that it was time to take it beyond just explaining what they do.
‘We base our work on an evidence-based model called MANERS and we have found it very successful because it can be adapted to help people at various levels or stages of stress or distress.
Minimise exposure – if you don’t need to see it, move away
Acknowledge the event
Normalise the experience – your reaction to the situation is normal.
Educate as required
Restore or refer – get yourself back on track or seek professional help
Self care – do something that makes you happy, switch off from work
‘While Paramedics, Ambulance Community Officers (ACOs) and Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) face a number of traumatic scenes at times, sometimes it can be a job that hits home personally that prompts them to seek help.
‘This DVD shows a very realistic mock car crash scene, beside a rural road. Members of Nagambie CERT played the roles of first responders supported by members of other emergency services.
‘It portrays the wider scenario, as well as the physical crash and patients. It also shows AV personnel caring for witnesses and distraught relatives, working to minimise their exposure and educate them on what is happening.
‘That shows that the MANERS model isn’t just relevant for our staff, but also for the wider community who may be affected by a traumatic event.
‘We encourage staff to talk to their colleagues and Peer Support to acknowledge what happened and that it’s normal to be affected by a traumatic case.
‘Paramedics, ACOs and CERTS are highly trained and capable people. But we are just people. We’re human and need to remember that we’re not bullet proof.
‘It’s much better to recognise when you need to talk to someone, get it off your chest and get help if you need it, rather than letting it grow and fester.
‘I would like to acknowledge and thank those whose enthusiasm and dedication helped make this DVD and we all hope that it will be highly useful tool in the future,’ Mr Cooper said.