Abstract
This paper explores the issue of Moral Injury in firefighters and how it can affect their mental and spiritual health, both in and out of the firehouse. Moral Injury (MI) refers to experiences/situations that go against an individual’s internal moral compass such as lack of fairness or the inability todo what is right and just. Its symptoms are similar to those of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD), and like PTSD, MI can be addressed and healed. We surveyed 479 firefighters across nine fire/EMS agencies using the Moral Injury Outcomes Scale (MIOS). Of our 479 responses, 276 (57.6%) reported having experienced a morally-injurious event such as mass shootings, car accidents, injured children, evidence of abuse, or their own failure to call out colleagues making mistakes on the job. Write-in comments indicated themes such as management/leadership failures,toxic organizational culture, lack of access to mental health resources, and adverse working conditions caused by personnel shortages, abuse of the 911 system for non-emergency medical calls, and department policies. A third of our sample responded affirmatively to items from The Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5 regarding nightmares, intrusive thoughts, avoidance,hypervigilance, and guilt. Almost half of our sample responded affirmatively to the question about detachment/isolation. Furthermore, our results suggest that firefighters may not understand the definition of Moral Injury, nor its distinction from PTSD. Regardless of the label, even though the fire service culture is changing, more attention needs to be paid to reducing the stigma of behavioral health, implementing mental wellness programs, and improving access to mental health treatment.
This resource is found in our Actionable Strategies for Public Safety Organizations: Status of Burnout & Moral Injury
AND Drivers (Relational Breakdown) AND Drivers (Operational Breakdown) AND Outcomes
