Trauma Fatigue and Secondary Trauma in First Responders: Recognizing the Signs and Communicating Your Needs to Your Partner
First responders - such as Firefighters, Law Enforcement Officers, EMTs, Dispatchers, and Emergency Medical Professionals - are routinely exposed to trauma, crisis, and human suffering as part of their daily work. Overtime, repeated exposure to these experiences can lead to compassion fatigue - emotional and physical exhaustion from caring for others - and secondary traumatic stress (STS), which occurs when trauma symptoms develop from exposure to others suffering. These conditions can affect...
