Episode Number: 15
Publish Date: August 15, 2023
Host: Arjuna George
Guest: Fire Chief Steve Serbic
Brief Description:
đź“š Fire Chief Steve Serbic shares his powerful story and provides hope to all First Responders, reminding them that it's okay not to feel okay.
đź“š Steve Serbic shares his personal experience of losing friends, including his own brother, to suicide, highlighting the importance of raising awareness and having open conversations about mental health.
đź’¬ Chief Serbic is not afraid to address sensitive topics such as organizational stress, dark thoughts, and addiction in the fire service, sparking important conversations and promoting mental health awareness.
đźš’ Chief Serbic highlights the effectiveness of using peer support platforms and involving WorkSafe in handling critical incident responses, as opposed to traditional debriefings, to prevent vicarious trauma and ensure the well-being of firefighters.
đźš’ Chief Serbic highlights the lack of support for fire chiefs in the past and discusses the establishment of a mental health task force and peer support group to provide resources and assistance to chiefs facing mental health challenges.
đźš’ Chief Serbic believes that building a psychologically safe fire department involves holding people accountable, allowing them to make decisions, and providing support even when they make mistakes.
Resources and Links Mentioned in this Episode:
đź”— BC First Responders Mental Health https://bcfirstrespondersmentalhealth.com/
đź”— BC First Responder Health https://www.firstresponderhealth.org/bcffoat
đź”—BC Firefighter Resiliency Program: https://sites.google.com/view/bcfrrp/home?authuser=0
đź”— Tedx Talk - Climbing the Ladder to Stronger Mental Health: https://www.ted.com/talks/steve_serbic_climbing_the_ladder_to_stronger_mental_health?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare
đź”— BC Crisis Centre Line: https://crisiscentre.bc.ca/get-help/
đź”— WorksafeBC Critical incident response: https://www.worksafebc.com/en/claims/report-workplace-injury-illness/critical-incident-response
đź”— Heads Up Guys: https://headsupguys.org/
Recommendations:
📖 Book - Burnt Around the Edges – A Guide to Mastering Stress and Surviving Burnout - Arjuna George (Available on Amazon, Apple and Google Books)
đź“–The Unbroken: A Firefighter's Memoir by Steve Serbic
đź“–Extinguished: A Fire Chief's Memoir by Steve Serbic
đź“–Body Keeps the Score - Bessel Van Der Kolk
đź“–When the Body Says No - Gabor Mate
đź“– Brene Brown (All her books)
Chief Serbic Bio
Steve Serbic is a fire chief, author, speaker, Podcast host and TEDx presenter. He outlines his experiences with trauma, spotlighting one specific event that shook him to his core. Steve describes the feelings of shame that come along with trauma and stigma and how we, as a society, must work together to break the misconceptions surrounding mental health. Steve Serbic speaks about mental health and suicide intervention for organizations throughout North America. By sharing his own journey through mental health and recovery from Post-Traumatic Stress Injuries as a firefighter, Steve aims to guide organizations toward a more supportive and resilient working environment.
Steve currently sits on the Canadian Fire Chiefs Mental Health Committee and the British Columbia Fire Chiefs Mental Health Task Force.
Connect with the Host:
Arjuna George – Fire Chief (ret)
Owner of Silver Arrow Coaching and Consulting, Beneath the Helmet Show, and author of Burnt Around the Edges.
www.silverarrowco.com
www.burntaroundtheedges.com
www.beneaththehelmet.ca
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🎧Spotify Podcasts: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/arjuna-george/episodes/Everyone-Has-a-Story---Chief-Serbic-shares-his-for-us---Mental-Health-e284pof
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