The Three Stressors for First Responders
To build real resilience, first responders must understand that stress comes not only from traumatic events but from a broader ecosystem of operational, organizational, and relational pressures.
When people talk about stress in emergency services, they usually focus on traumatic events: the accident scene, the fire, the rescue that doesn’t go as planned.
Granted, traumatic events are significant sources of stress, but research on high-adversity professions shows that trauma exposure is only one contributing factor.
There are three major categories of stress that affect first responders:
- Operational Stress.
- Organizational Stress.
- Relational Stress.
Operational Stress
Operational stress includes the obvious challenges:
- Exposure to trauma.
- Life-and-death decisions.
- Time pressure.
- Dangerous environments.
Anyone who has worked in emergency services for any length of time understands these pressures.
During helicopter rescue operations in the North Atlantic and North Pacific, for example, helicopter rescue crews often recover more bodies than survivors. The environment is simply too harsh, and sometimes helicopters cannot arrive in time.
Many high-adversity professions also carry significant personal risk. At the very beginning of my helicopter rescue career, I lost a friend in a flight training accident. At the very end, a rescue swimmer, whom I loved and admired deeply, was fatally injured during an operational mission.
In the twenty years between those events, our small aviation community lost thirteen aviators. Repeated exposure to loss is something that must be acknowledged and processed. But two other forms of stress often accumulate more quietly.
Organizational Stress
Organizational stress comes from the systems surrounding the work.
Examples include:
- Shift schedules.
- Administrative requirements.
- Resource limitations.
- Bureaucratic processes.
- Frequent relocations.
In my experience, the moments when I lost patience at work were rarely tied to operational responses.
Rather, they were tied to administrative friction—spending hours trying to solve problems like lapse in appropriations, travel approvals, procurement requests, or obtaining waivers for policies that clearly interfered with mission accomplishment.
Some of the most effective units I’ve worked with had strong support structures that allowed operators to focus on the operations while administrative specialists handled the systems that support the mission.
That model benefits everyone.
Some of the best pilots I worked with also became highly proficient at the “blocking and tackling” of officership. They learned to handle administrative responsibilities efficiently, take care of their people well, and avoid the undisciplined pursuit of “more.” Through focus and prioritization, they created the time and bandwidth needed to master their craft.
Relational Stress
The third category involves the impact of the profession on personal relationships.
- Long hours.
- Missed family events.
- Difficulty discussing traumatic experiences.
- Frequent moves.
The greatest stress during my Coast Guard career was often the tension between mission requirements and my desire to lead my family well.
I wanted to support my team and accomplish the mission. But, I also wanted to be present for my children and wife.
Over time, those competing demands can gradually isolate people.
But the two responsibilities cannot be mutually exclusive.
Our communities need committed first responders who are exceptional at their work. At the same time, our children need parents who are present, engaged, and committed to raising them well.
Society benefits when service providers demonstrate that it is possible to serve the community while also building strong families. Our children need examples of parents who use their gifts in service to others while also investing deeply at home.
Resilience training must help people blend these demands effectively instead of forcing them to choose, underscoring the necessity that it equally addresses all three forms of stress, and does not focus solely on the most obvious, the operational component.
Likewise, those who harness their gifts, talents, and passion in service to others must also understand that stress accompanies meaningful work.
The goal should never be to eliminate stress entirely. Being comfortable and stress-free cannot be the objective. A worthwhile mission will always involve hard work, discomfort, and uncertainty.
What matters is redefining our relationship with stress.
Organizations that support professionals in high-adversity occupations must ensure that their people are working hard and experiencing healthy stress because of their commitment to the mission, not because of unnecessary administrative burdens, poorly designed bureaucratic systems, or a lack of capacity to maintain relationships with love ones.
Actionable Items
- Identify which stress category affects you most: operational, organizational, or relational.
- Accept that meaningful work will involve stress, discomfort, and uncertainty.
- Focus on redefining your relationship with stress rather than trying to eliminate it.
- Protect time and energy for your family—strong relationships are a critical resilience resource.
- Increase proficiency in the “blocking and tackling” of administrative responsibilities. Over time this investment will allow you to take care of people while creating time and bandwidth needed to master your craft and strengthen relationships.
- Leaders should work to remove unnecessary organizational friction so stress comes from the mission, not the system.