Educating for psychological support in the system of protection against natural and other disasters

Abstract

Rescue personnel are faced with stress during and after incidents. In coping with stress, knowledge of stress management, protective behaviour, and social support can be of great help. Since incidents may also involve serious consequences, rescue personnel (for example professional fire fighters) are offered psychological and social support in the form of peer and external professional support, short defusing interviews after the critical incident at the end of the shift, comprehensive psychological trauma integration, and psychotherapy. The article presents information on the implementation of psychological support for rescue workers in the Education Centre for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief.