National Guard Plane Crash at Hotel Site - Evansville, Indiana » Critical Incident Stress Debriefing

Both local authorities and the military recognized the extreme emotional and psychological impact the crash could have on emergency responders and the community at-large. Critical incident stress debriefing (CISD) specialists from the Southwest Indiana Critical Incident Stress Management Team and Scott Air Force Base Medical Center responded to the scene to assist those affected by the incident. Debriefing sessions were held for both the emergency responders and the community. CISD team members reported that these sessions were well attended.

The CISD intervention was intended to prepare those who responded to or witnessed the incident for the possible physical, emotional, and cognitive effects to the stressful events they had experienced. The sessions provided useful information to the participants on how they themselves could minimize or manage their stress responses. They also identified agencies and individuals in the community who could provide expert assistance to those experiencing severe reactions to the incident.

According to the specialists sent from Scott AFB, this was the first time military critical incident stress teams have responded to a non-combat incident.

Next » Post-Incident Critique