Critical Incident Stress Management Program
About the Critical Incident Stress Management Program
Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue (RCMSAR) has partnered with the BC Search and Rescue Association (BCSARA) to develop a Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) program.
The goal of the program is to provide in-house CISM services to our members.
Marine search and rescue volunteers are trained to respond to high-risk situations to save others. Sadly, not all searches end in rescues; any mission can quickly turn into a recovery of someone who has perished on the water. Close calls, major injuries, and incidents involving children can also be very difficult to process.
Critical incident stress refers to the range of physical and psychological symptoms that might be experienced by someone because of being involved in a traumatic or critical incident.
CISM is a system of crisis intervention designed to reduce the negative psychological impact of traumatic events that people have been exposed to. Its purpose is to support one’s return to their daily routine more quickly and with less likelihood of experiencing negative long-term effects.
Twelve (12) RCMSAR members have completed their peer support training and received an international certification that enables them to deliver CISM services to all our 31 stations.
For up to twelve months, our members will work in tandem with a BCSARA peer support person, following which they will be ready to lead interventions themselves.
In addition to providing CISM services our trained members to build awareness of the program will be developing and delivering education and awareness presentations to RCMSAR members.
A CISM working committee comprised of the twelve (12) members and a member from HQ has also been formed to grow the program and manage the development of promotional, awareness and educational materials for our members.
STATION LEADERS: To book a presentation for your station, email cism.training@rcmsar.com.
How do I make a CISM request?
Any RCMSAR member can reach out for a CISM intervention by emailing cism.request@rcmsar.com
Normally, if one or more members are involved in a situation, station leadership will step in and request an intervention on behalf of their members.
It’s important to note that a CISM request isn’t limited to RCMSAR activities or incidents; it can extend to events or incidents in a member’s personal life.
To initiate a CISM intervention, individuals or station leadership can submit a written request to cism.request@rcmsar.com. This request should provide details on the reasons for intervention, such as the nature of the incident and the number of members involved.
Once the request is received, HQ will review it and acknowledge the request within 24 hours.
Following this review HQ will then ensure the necessary resources (peer support personnel) to conduct an intervention are assigned. Following assignment, based on need, a peer support person or support team will then actively begin the intervention process.
All support provided through the CISM program is confidential.
Note: Unlike RCMSAR taskings and the need to respond in real time, a CISM intervention normally takes place two to seven days after the request has been made.
Education & Awareness
CISM 101 Presentation
RCMSAR and BCSARA Partnership
CISM Request SOP
Working Committee Terms of Reference
Station Leaders can book an Education and Awareness session for their members by submitting a request to cism.training@rcmsar.com. Sessions can be conducted in person or virtually.
Useful Links
For more information about Critical Incident Stress, including downloadable brochures and videos, visit BCSARA’s CISM webpage.
About BC Search and Rescue Association (BCSARA)
BCSARA’s mission is to represent the un-paid professional ground search and rescue community in BC by providing advocacy, support for funding and health and safety, access to information as well as public education and prevention. BCSARA was formed in 2002 and is a registered non-profit society representing 78 search and rescue groups across the province.
Operating the largest all-volunteer critical incident support network in North America, BCSARA provides peer support, post-incident debriefing, and resiliency resources to help search and rescue (SAR) volunteers deal with the stresses experienced during SAR operations.
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