Looking to reduce the stresses acting on first responders, the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota has released a free app, called the First Responder Toolkit. Developed in collaboration with the Minnesota Department of Health, the app uses an interactive platform to assist first responders with identifying when they are suffering from compassion fatigue, and how to recover from it. The app is currently available to first responders in all 50 states.
Says Tai Mehdenhall, PhD and associate professor of family social science, of the need for such an app, “Generally, people in the ‘helping professions’ — mental health providers, biomedical providers, EMTs, etc. — are very good at helping other people. But we are not very good at taking care of ourselves.”
A survey in 2016 by the National EMS Management Association found that mental health and wellness problems were found in a significant number of people working in emergency medical service roles.
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