We've got a search and rescue team. We operate under the local sheriff's department. I have something that I've never had to experience before and I'm not sure that I'm doing everything I can - but don't know what else I can do...
We had a callout on Wednesday afternoon. I chose to stay at home to finish a project (I work from home). From home I was able to handle communications and organize our team.
We had a missing man who had been missing since the weekend. I didn't think that it would turn out well. There were so many untrained volunteers wanting to help that they simply split the untrained volunteers up and had our team members each take a team of untrained volunteers.
Unfortunately, the group that found the body was our newest certified member. She's only been certified for three weeks. They didn't find the body on Wed. The team assembled on Thursday and went back out. She did great, but she just wasn't prepared for what she found. She did everything by the book. Verifying, containment, reports. She was fantastic.
Until she headed home.
She called me crying. I talked to her as best I could. I tried to help her through it. But - I'm not trained for that!
She had told me that her husband worked afternoons but she had kids at home to take her mind off it. When she said that she was almost home and that she'd be OK, we said goodbye.
I called the sheriff's department and asked them if they could send the chaplin out to check on her. I felt bad for her, but I felt I had done everything that I had been trained for and couldn't do any more.
I got a call about a half hour later from the sheriff. They couldn't find her and she wasn't answering her cell.
Five minutes later she called me. She had arranged for a babysitter because she didn't want the kids to see her upset.
I found out where she was and told her to sit tight - I'd be there in 15 minutes. Called her team captain on the way there and called the sheriff to tell him where to send the chaplin.
I got to her first. She broke down and cried -- but when her team captain and the chaplin got there, she pulled herself together and said she'd be OK. We sat and talked to her for two hours. She seemed OK - upset, but OK.
She promised to go home. She promised to call the chaplin if she needed him.
But, guess who she called at 10:30 last night? I talked to her until almost midnight. I did have her laughing and she said that she felt much better. I encouraged her to talk to the chaplin again. But, she says that she feels better talking to me.
Have I done everything I can do? I THINK she is strong. I THINK she will get through this. I WISH she had been more experienced before she had to see this. I can't change anything that happened. But, if I knew what to do, I might help.
What would YOU do?
We had a callout on Wednesday afternoon. I chose to stay at home to finish a project (I work from home). From home I was able to handle communications and organize our team.
We had a missing man who had been missing since the weekend. I didn't think that it would turn out well. There were so many untrained volunteers wanting to help that they simply split the untrained volunteers up and had our team members each take a team of untrained volunteers.
Unfortunately, the group that found the body was our newest certified member. She's only been certified for three weeks. They didn't find the body on Wed. The team assembled on Thursday and went back out. She did great, but she just wasn't prepared for what she found. She did everything by the book. Verifying, containment, reports. She was fantastic.
Until she headed home.
She called me crying. I talked to her as best I could. I tried to help her through it. But - I'm not trained for that!
She had told me that her husband worked afternoons but she had kids at home to take her mind off it. When she said that she was almost home and that she'd be OK, we said goodbye.
I called the sheriff's department and asked them if they could send the chaplin out to check on her. I felt bad for her, but I felt I had done everything that I had been trained for and couldn't do any more.
I got a call about a half hour later from the sheriff. They couldn't find her and she wasn't answering her cell.
Five minutes later she called me. She had arranged for a babysitter because she didn't want the kids to see her upset.
I found out where she was and told her to sit tight - I'd be there in 15 minutes. Called her team captain on the way there and called the sheriff to tell him where to send the chaplin.
I got to her first. She broke down and cried -- but when her team captain and the chaplin got there, she pulled herself together and said she'd be OK. We sat and talked to her for two hours. She seemed OK - upset, but OK.
She promised to go home. She promised to call the chaplin if she needed him.
But, guess who she called at 10:30 last night? I talked to her until almost midnight. I did have her laughing and she said that she felt much better. I encouraged her to talk to the chaplin again. But, she says that she feels better talking to me.
Have I done everything I can do? I THINK she is strong. I THINK she will get through this. I WISH she had been more experienced before she had to see this. I can't change anything that happened. But, if I knew what to do, I might help.
What would YOU do?
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