As first responders work around the clock to protect people, it’s important that they take care of their own mental health. That’s what an upcoming training will focus on.
It was created by TIP, the Trauma Intervention Program of Southern Nevada. TIP volunteers are often called to the scenes of tragedies to help victims and their families. This training offers that same kind of support for first responders.
When first responders get the call, they know they have a job to do.
“They're going to respond to thousands of horrific incidents in their career that normal humans don't have to see,” Henderson deputy fire chief Scott Vivier said.
While the focus is normally on helping victims and their families, each tragedy can affect each first responder differently.
“The sights and sounds, the emotions, the profound sense of loss and grief that they see and feel is transferred to them,” Vivier said. “And that burden can be heavy.”