In this episode of Beyond the 1st Response, Christy and Robyn talk with retired Police Sargeant/Firefighter-Paramedic Jim Schlicher current training instructor for Calibre Press on what it is like to experience death on the job and off the job.
Don’t Be Afraid Of Death
As First Responders, we deal with death, weekly on the job. Often not even blinking an eye, it’s part of the job that becomes a normal occurrence. Death is a part of life, but normalizing it as just another day at work should not be. Schlicher adds: The one thing we know is death, but we often don’t know how to process it. We are afraid of it, so we don’t process it. American Culture has fallen away from any spirituality and now we don’t know where to go when we need to process a normalized traumatic event.
You Gotta Buy All In
Reflecting on failures in life as a parent, spouse/significant other, child, sibling, and coworker, the one constant that is missing is Living by your words. The belief system can’t be solely on you, let go of that fear of what others think, and open up if you are not confident in the subject. We need to start taking care of others. Whether you are talking to a complete stranger or someone you know, starting a conversation, you are going to learn something new, or even help someone you didn’t know needed it. Something changes inside a person when you start talking to them, they start opening up and this is an opportunity to help people be in a better spot in their heads and hearts. Starting over and learning again to be all in, can feel daunting, but we are made to communicate, and revisit how we talk to people. The Art of Conversation is simple.
Don’t Forget Your Friends and Family
Finding Christ again for Jim has been truly what helped ground him and get him back on track. It’s not an easy road, especially after trauma, and trauma that occurs personally. Schlicher was in an officer-involved shooting in 2012, in which he received a medal of valor from The Hundred Club of Dupage. Each thing you learn after a trauma helps you grow in some ways. One thing to remember, your friend and family are there with you and by your side. Don’t forget them, they are part of the healing process.
Beyond the 1st Response Show Links:
Art of Conversation, by frontier for young minds
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