What is a Critical Incident?

Emergency response personnel operate under a variety of stressors; the uncertainty of the next call, the human tragedies involved, the hazards associated with a rescue, the fear of doing something wrong. 

Often responders can cope with these stressors and consider them “part of the job”. Some situations, however, cause lasting impressions and can challenge the ability to function on the job and at home. They can cause emergency service workers to abandon involvement with their service and cause physical and emotional illness. Situations, which produce these unusually strong reactions, are referred to as critical incidents

Some examples of critical incidents include:

* Sudden death

* Serious injury or death of an emergency worker

* A difficult rescue effort

* Victim and family known by responder

* Natural disasters or mass casualty incidents

* Suicides

* Unfavorable media coverage or an event