HEALTH & WELLNESS
be shaken (e.g., “How could God cause this destruction?”).
Loss of security in “terra firma” that the earth is “solid”
and dependable may wane. People lose their illusion of
invulnerability; anyone can be in the wrong place at the
wrong time and experience a sense of meaninglessness.
The organizational impact has ongoing stressors such as;
• Actual or perceived decreased safety; high cost of last-
ing impact; pursuit of medical and psychiatric opinions;
people coping with issues related to grief/loss of dreams;
increased financial strain, stress, family concerns, physi-
cal needs; harsh judgments if emergency decisions were
handled poorly (or not!); tolerance within and between
systems often decreases as stress, role conflict and ex-
treme fatigue set in; difficulty concentrating at work/
increased mistakes; irritability with others’ absentee-
ism and presenteeism; and ongoing financial concerns.
(Adapted from: Veteran’s Administration & National
Center for PTSD.)
The impact of critical incidents on workgroups/productivity
requires that employees:
• be healthy enough to return to work and function effec-
tively and safely
• be assured of their safety and not be afraid of returning
to work
• trust in the leadership and desire to return to work
• have their loyalty rewarded to remain committed long-
term (Marsh Crisis Academy)
Just like the idea of “post-traumatic growth,” in which a res-
cuer does not experience distress but is affirmed by his or her
response in a traumatic event in a positive way, there is a move-
ment to explore strengths in the face of crisis in many ways. In
Victor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning, the term “tragic opti-
mism” is defined as “an optimism in the face of tragedy and in
view of the human potential which at its best allows for:
• turning suffering into a human achievement and accom-
plishment;
• deriving from guilt the opportunity to change oneself for
the better; and
• deriving from life’s transitoriness an incentive to take re-
sponsible action.”
When I think about resilience, leadership and trauma impact
in law enforcement in time of crises, I recall New York City May-
or Guiliani’s posture post 9/11/01. Guiliani’s crisis management
book reports four key components to good leadership:
Be visible. Don’t forget, the President was sheltered away to
protect the head of our federal government. President Bush
wasn’t seen on television; it was Giuliani who became the face
of reassurance for the American people. But 9/11 wasn’t the
only time Giuliani was thrust into a crisis. He routinely showed
up at emergency scenes in New York City.
Giuliani describes four steps for crisis leadership in his book,
Leadership. “It is in times of crisis that good leaders emerge,” he
says. “While mayor, I made it my policy to see with my own eyes
the scene of every crisis so I could evaluate it firsthand.”
Who can forget those scenes of Mayor Giuliani walking the
streets of New York with his contingent of staff and department
heads while being interviewed by the news media? Law en-
forcement leaders must respond to scenes and take charge of
their operation. Many times, they fall into the incident man-
agement structure.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 78
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■ NOVEMBER 2017 77