Is it true that people who pursue these careers tend to end their lives earlier due to stress from what they've encountered during their service? Will working in a field like this cause one to become emotionally distant from society, create immense stress in a marriage, and also make it difficult to fall asleep at night?
I've heard stories about how working in an Emergency Field will cause people to change for the worse. Any input would be much appreciated, as I have an interest in becoming a Paramedic, or possibly a Police Officer.
2006-10-01 14:07:58 · 12 answers · asked by vain_swordsman 2 in Politics & Government ➔ Law Enforcement & Police
Having been a paramedic for ten years before becoming a police officer for another 10 (and counting) I can say that I have seen my share of co-workers burn out. Fortunately I have never had one commit suicide but some have divorced and many have become less social over the years. There is an incredible amount of stress that comes with the job and if you don't learn to deal with it early on you run the risk of becoming your own victim. Everyone has their own way of dealing with the stress. I used to think it was my hobbies and my family that gave me relief but a few years ago I learned that I do what many of my co-workers do: I block out the negatives, I don't dwell on what happens and I use humor to replace fear and sorrow. To most people this sounds cruel and unsympathetic and I can't blame them for thinking that way. After all, no normal person should be able to laugh and talk about anything else while standing over a dead body but we do it. We mean no disrespect and we're certainly not laughing about the person but we have to be able to function and move on. This is just a way we do it so we don't become statistics. This is also the reason people in emergency services tend to have such a camaraderie. We feel more comfortable socializing with each other than with our non-work friends because we understand the stress. It's not that we become anti-social. I call it "selectively social".
Despite the quirks I just described, I consider myself to be a normal member of society who has been fortunate enough to deal with my job stress. If you have an interest in emergency services I would encourage you to pursue it. You will find out early on if you have what it takes to make it a career. If not, at least you'll never grow old wondering "what if...."
2006-10-02 04:20:43 · answer #1 · answered by Mike 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I don't know about being a police officer or a firefigher, but there are very few old paramedics. The "burn out" rate in this field is rather high. Most paramedics work in the field for less than 5 years, before they move onto something less stressful.
Not only is the very nature of the job stressful, but the hours are long and the pay is not in accordance with the amount of work performed. The average ambulane service works a 24 hour on/ 48 hour off schedule, and trust me, after you have responded to your 20th call in a 24 hour period (and have not slept for 24 hours), you are not feeling your best!
That being said, I think it's more about how you personally handle stress. If you don't take your job home with you, and you have other hobbies and interests besides work, and you stay in good physical shape, then there's no reason why you can't do this job for a good long while.
And there is no other job like it, that's for sure. Sure, it gets stressful sometime, but I coudn't imagine doing anything else!
2006-10-02 06:38:59 · answer #2 · answered by rita_alabama 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is a lot of stress and a lot of exposure to horrible incidents, so most workers in these fields become distant to some degree and often have a tough time just seeing the good that others can very easily find in the world. And most cops (if not the others) don't live very long after they retire unless they find other jobs similar in nature to keep them occupied. It's hard to turn in your badge and give up the authority and excitement that goes with it.
Firefighters (and cops and paramedics to a lesser degree) also come into contact with harmful fumes and gases on a regular basis, and go through physically and mentally exhausting years on the job. These are not easy careers and ofter take a toll on those who choose them.
2006-10-01 14:13:13 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋
Is there stress in these jobs? YES there is a lot of stress. I am a retired cop. 18 years on the job when I suffered a heart attack. The town I worked for retired me. But during the course of my career my wife used to tell me all the time how much stress I was under. I always blew it off telling her "What stress"? I refused to believe for one minute I was under any stress in the least. BUT once I retired my life was totally different. It took me a while but I did finally realize that I had been under a lot of stress with my job as a cop. Would I go back if I had the chance, YES in a heart beat. And I would also go back to my old shift. Midnight to Eight. LOVED working those hours. And NO I didn't go to work to go to sleep. I would say to you, if you have the opportunity to become a cop, GO FOR IT. But keep in mind it is a career that does take a lot out of you. OH and suicide, NO. I have not heard of and do not no of any cops in my area who committed suicide.
2006-10-01 15:41:11 · answer #4 · answered by GRUMPY 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I have been riding the back of trucks since 1978 and anyone, no matter who you are, can reach burn-out. The one thing that Fire, EMS, and Police services does is build bonds between people. In all three, you depend on your partner, or other workers to back you up in life and death issues.
Whether its an EMS call where some crack head is armed and thinks you got all kinds of good drugs on the truck,, to a house fire that no one know has chemicals inside for cooking off meth and ready to take you out. Or the uniformed officers trying to get to a victim of a brutal rape and beating, not knowing an armed perp is sitting there waiting to take them out.
I left the field a few years ago, used EMS to work my way to higher education and I don't regret it. I see what the young people on the street deal with and what they get thrown at them, and I am proud to say, they are carrying on the tradition set by people who have went before them.
In any job, you can get burned out. The secret is to realize its happening and get help for it before it eats you up like a cancer.
2006-10-01 14:40:24 · answer #5 · answered by bigmikejones 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I have worked in Fire and EMS. I know that it can cause a lot of stress which can affect your marriage. These fields do have a higher divorce rate. But you just have to find someone who can handle it. As far as suicide goes, I haven't heard of that happening very often. However, I do know that a big killer of Firefighters is heart disease or cancer. But that is just the risk you take. If you ask me, it's worth it.
2006-10-01 14:53:25 · answer #6 · answered by bjnljholloway 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Unfortunately, there seems to be a higher rate of suicide among those in law enforcement than in other professions. Several reasons can exist for this, including job stress, the job creating problems in an officer's home life, and possibly the inability to cope with certain things they see on a daily basis. In addition to suicide, law enforcement officers also have a higher divorce rate than other professionals.
I attached several websites which discuss suicide rates for law enforcement. Hope that helps!
-Saffyre
2006-10-01 14:51:57 · answer #7 · answered by the_vampiress_saffyre 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I've known quite a few so I am answering anyway. First responders have to have a certain mentality.....they have to learn to distance themselves a bit but it doesn't have to have that much of an effect on their family life.
I have known a lot of them, can't say I ever had any friends that killed themselves from it either, they value life. If a cop accidentally kills someone innocent in the line of duty they sometimes have problems.....but so do soldiers. They hopefully get counseling to deal with it.
Good luck, they are all heroes in my eyes and we can always use more of those.
2006-10-01 14:13:27 · answer #8 · answered by WitchTwo 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Yes often the stress of seeing all the things in life take its toll.
And you left out correctional officers also
You can not see the people hurt, the lowest level of society and live in it every day without it eating at your soul.
How can you see and know drug dealers, hookers, thefts, con men and live a normal life in the sub burbs.
2006-10-01 16:39:14 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
if working in the criminal justice field is your interest, you shouldn't let the words that people say get in the way of your dreams.
2006-10-01 14:11:16 · answer #10 · answered by ♥Brittany♥ 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋