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Assessing the Mental Health Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on US Fire-Based Emergency Medical Services Responders: A
Madison E Raposa1, Gabrielle Mullin, Regan M Murray
1From the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Dornsife School of Public Health at Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (M.E.R., G.M., A.B.F., V.H.G., A.L.D., J.A.T.); Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation at the College of Education and Health Professions at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas (R.M.M.); Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts (L.J.S.); Department of Family and Preventative Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah (K.C.C., J.A.A.); Department of Management and Organizational Behavior, LeBow College of Business at Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (C.J.R.); and Department of Psychological Sciences, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas (J.L.).
Objective:
This study aimed to examine the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on fire service safety culture, behavior and morale, levers of well-being, and well-being outcomes.
Methods:
Two samples (Stress and Violence against fire-based EMS Responders [SAVER], consisting of 3 metropolitan departments, and Fire service Organizational Culture of Safety [FOCUS], a geographically stratified random sample of 17 departments) were assessed monthly from May to October 2020. Fire department-specific and pooled scores were calculated. Linear regression was used to model trends.
Results:
We observed concerningly low and decreasing scores on management commitment to safety, leadership communication, supervisor sensegiving, and decision-making. We observed increasing and concerning scores for burnout, intent to leave the profession, and percentage at high risk for anxiety and depression.
Conclusions:
Our findings suggest that organizational attributes remained generally stable but low during the pandemic and impacted well-being outcomes, job satisfaction, and engagement. Improving safety culture can address the mental health burden of this work.
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