Challenge #23 - 2022 WFLDP Campaign

Challenge #23: Good leaders create psychologically safe environments in which their team can share. 

• Watch Amy Edmondson’s “Building a Psychologically Safe Workplace” TedTalk.
• Take the “Is Your Team Psychologically Safe” quiz and consider implementing the exercises to build safe environments. 

What Is Your Why?

(Tumwater Falls, Olympia, WA, where fish jump up the falls; photo: Pam McDonald)

Three to six months ago, our world was rocked when the smallest of enemies attacked Earth's inhabitants. A novel coronavirus emerged as a deadly foe to, at this writing, over half a million people. We learn more and more about this virus on a daily basis, but many of us remain steadfast in our response. Why are we so divided on all things Covid-19? Why does wearing/not wearing a mask seem like a salmon swimming upstream to return to their spawning ground?

Think LCES - Keep Your Team Safe in a Pandemic

Every generation has a pivotal moment in their history. The COVID-19 pandemic is one of those moments. Now is the time for strong leadership. No one is immune from the impact of this pandemic. Most importantly, every person at every level of the organization has the ability to make a difference. Every one of us has the ability to lead and SHOULD lead.

What does leading in a crisis look like? The answers are as varied as the situation put before us, but maybe we could adapt LCES to heighten our response:

ALERT: Increase in Heat-Related Illnesses in Wildland Firefighting

NMAC Correspondence 2017-12

June 19, 2017

To: Geographic Area Coordination Group Chairs
From: National Multi-Agency Coordinating Group
Subject: Wildland Firefighter Heat Related Injury Prevention, Awareness, and Rhabdomyolysis

The wildland firefighter community has experienced an alarming increase in heat related and other physiological injuries in the last few days. Heat related injuries and Rhabdomyolysis are not the same, but can occur at the same time. Extreme weather conditions are predicted to continue across western states for the next week. The National Weather Service is issuing Heat Warnings for the SWCC, GBCC, RMCC, OSCC, and ONCC (http://www.weather.gov/).

Responding to Your Own Mental Health

The trauma that we see as firefighters on a daily basis will take a toll on people. Understanding how to deal with your body’s reactions to trauma may put you ahead of the game. Taking advantage of simple ways to recognize that we’re starting to struggle mentally with what we see on the job may be as important as life or death.

Behavioral Health: Continuing the Conversation

[This article is a joint effort between Firehouse magazine and the Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program to promote firefighter health and wellness. HELP OTHERS - HELP YOURSELF]

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Did you know that firefighter suicides are rarely linked to the firefighter’s experience on one or two big, traumatic calls? The experts tell us it is usually a confluence of small personal and professional stressors, that, over time, become too much to bear. The March Firehouse magazine article “Who Responds to a Firefighter’s Worst Day?” introduces the idea that our emotional reactions to incidents are varied and somewhat unpredictable. Although as a fire service we’ve improved the screening process and assistance we provide to firefighters following traumatic calls, this article underscores that there are many other factors that contribute to stress. Left unresolved, they can cause mental and emotional damage over time.