In my master's thesis, I researched psychosocial support and assistance for volunteer firefighters (hereafter referred to as firefighters) of PGD Litija during the most challenging interventions. I was interested in how firefighters experience and respond to these interventions, as well as what forms of psychosocial support and assistance they use. Additionally, I explored the role of self-help and prevention. I was also interested in the role of firefighter confidants and how their work is experienced by firefighters who participated in the study.
In the theoretical part, I described firefighting, what constitutes a challenging intervention and an accident, the development of stress and trauma, and the psychosocial support and assistance available, focusing on firefighter confidants. I also connected these topics with social work. Firefighters regularly encounter various traumatic events while responding to a wide range of interventions. In such situations, it is important that they take care of themselves, first through self-help and preventive techniques, and then, if necessary, by utilizing professional psychosocial support available to first responders.
As a part of my master's thesis, I performed a qualitative study. Using semi-structured interviews, I conducted eight interviews through which I gathered valuable material for analysis. I analyzed the material qualitatively, using the process of open and axial coding.
I found that the most challenging interventions for firefighters include traffic accidents, accidents involving a known person, accidents with fatalities, dealing with injured individuals, and resuscitation. Firefighters experience these interventions very differently, and each individual has their ways of coping with traumatic experiences (e.g., through music, sports, conversation, etc.). The participating firefighters are familiar with at least one form of psychosocial support and assistance, most often mentioning discussions within the organization or psychological help provided by a professional. They have no experience with firefighter confidants and are also unaware of the preventive programs available to them.
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