The Call Never Ends: Mental & Emotional Health in Emergency Communications
Emergency communications professionals face repeated exposure to high-stress and emotionally charged incidents, often without closure or recovery time. This chronic exposure can impact mental health, sleep, decision-making, and job performance.
3:45 PM - 4:45 PMMon
River Room
Administration Telecommunicators
Speakers
Douglas W. Thompson
Lieutenant
LADPS – Troopers and Employees Assistance Program
Documents
The Call Never Ends
This session examines the cumulative effects of occupational stress in emergency communications, including allostatic load, secondary and vicarious trauma, burnout, PTSD indicators, depression, and suicide risk. Participants will explore how shift work and sleep disruption act as stress multipliers and identify practical, realistic strategies to support resilience and early intervention. This session is educational in nature and focuses on awareness and prevention rather than clinical diagnosis or treatment. Course Objectives: 1. Understand Allostatic Load and its effects on emergency responder communicators 2. Recognize signs of secondary and vicarious trauma 3. Understand the differences in PTSD and Burnout 4. Identify and respond to signs of depression and suicide risk 5. Understand how sleep affects our ability to endure stress 6. Make positive changes in the workplace for emotional and mental health 7. Know the resources in Louisiana for emergency responders