New Jersey Helpline Alleviates EMS Stress

     In response to the devastating loss of first responders in the World Trade Center attacks, former New Jersey Governor Donald DiFrancesco announced the availability of Cop2Cop, a 24/7 peer support helpline sponsored by University Behavioral HealthCare, UMDNJ and the New Jersey State Department of Personnel to aid New Jersey firefighters and EMS personnel. A short time after 9/11, patterns began to emerge, making it clear that these first responders were traumatized, overwhelmed with emotion, feeling guilty and thankful, exhausted and yet not able to stop helping in the search efforts. Soon, mental health professionals started asking, "Who is rescuing the rescuers?"

     Our USAR team from New Jersey Task Force One was one of the first teams on the scene and did rescue and recovery for 10 days after 9/11. With an overwhelming response from USAR team members (consisting of EMS, fire, police, doctors, engineers and even dog-handlers), firefighters and EMS professionals, a new 24/7 helpline, WTC-RSVP, was created. Funded through a 9/11 recovery grant, the line served thousands of fire and EMS professionals and their families, and was instrumental in helping them regain a sense of normalcy in their lives.

Dedicated Helpline for EMS
     Following the success of the WTC-RSVP program, legislation was passed to support a dedicated helpline specifically for fire and EMS professionals. The NJ Fire and EMS Lifeline, a peer support helpline serving the 23,000 EMTs and 1,500 paramedics in New Jersey, is a first-of-its-kind program funded by a grant from the New Jersey State Office of Victim-Witness Advocacy and offered through University Behavioral Healthcare (UBHC), a division of UMDNJ and one of the largest providers of behavioral healthcare in the county.

     The program offers four key services, including: 24/7 peer support helpline and referrals for first responders and their families; training for first responders; marketing/outreach efforts; and critical incident stress management.

     This program, staffed by a combined staff of 10 fire, EMS and mental health professionals, handles calls from first responders and their families centered on issues related to marriage and relationship difficulties, anger management, job-related stress, anxiety and depression, the death of a coworker or family member, failed rescue attempts and response to disasters.

     At the end of July 2005, there had been more than 850 calls to the helpline and more than 185 stress management seminars held for 8,017 participants.

Case Study Summaries
     An analysis of individual cases found that first responders most often sought help only when private coping mechanisms proved inadequate. In the clinical work, clients examined their personal histories, reflecting on numerous past traumas and studying the complex interplay of history and past unresolved trauma as it forms the backdrop for the impact of events like 9/11. Clients improved and benefited from counseling, were able to make more reasoned decisions about their lives and careers, and experienced far less strife in their relationships.

Raymond Kersting, EMT-P, serves as a senior consultant with the NJFDEMS Lifeline Program at University Behavioral HealthCare.

Noreen Adlin, EMT-P, currently serves as a program development consultant for the NJ Fire/EMS Lifeline Program at University Behavioral HealthCare.