Avery Baier and Isabella Lipski, “Conducting a Needs Assessment in Milwaukee County Fire Departments”
Mentor: Bhagwant Sindhu, Occupational Therapy, Science & Technology, Rehabilitation Sciences & Technology (School of)
Poster #41
The purpose of this research project is to characterize the mental well-being needs of various Fire Departments in Milwaukee County. Over 17,000 licensed Emergency Medicine Service providers, including Paramedics and Emergency Medicine Technicians employed by Fire Departments as well as volunteer firefighters, presently work in Wisconsin. These employees serving urban communities frequently experience Acute Stress Disorder and Post-Traumatic Disorder, given they primarily respond to potentially traumatic events. Wellbeing resources available to this critical workforce vary by Fire Department, and at times are minimal. Mental resilience is the ability to adapt to and bounce back from different traumas and setbacks. Promoting resilience skills, in turn, can promote the wellbeing of Fire Department workforce. Examples of practices that promote mental resilience include mindfulness practice and deep breathing exercises. For the purpose of this project, we will conduct a needs assessment to understand wellbeing resources presently available, wellbeing strategies that have been implemented in the past, and how wellbeing needs may vary by demographic characteristics. This needs assessment will be conducted through in-depth interviews with Milwaukee County Fire Department Chiefs or Assistant Chiefs. These interviews will be conducted in-person or via Zoom calls. Interviews will be coded to generate themes. Through this project, we expect to gain an in-depth understanding of mental well-being needs of various Fire Departments in Milwaukee County. Completing this needs assessment will help us determine areas in which we can help these departments improve their employees’ mental resilience and well-being. We hope to prevent mental health crises in these fire departments through what we find is necessary after completing the needs assessment. In the end we hope we can help fire department employees cope with the multitude of traumas they witness daily and decrease the burnout that is associated with these high levels of trauma.