This is the official call for speaker papers for the 2nd Annual Illinois Firefighter Peer Support Symposium to be held at the Marriott in Naperville, Illinois on February 20th and 21st, 2020.
We are seeking presentations on the following topics:
PTSD
Depression/Anxiety
Peer Support
Family/Significant Other Support
Mindfulness
Addiction
Suicide
Faith
Fitness
Holistic Health
Retirement
Cancer in the Fire Service
Any other topic you may feel will be of interest to firefighters/paramedics and their circle of support
The goal of your presentation is to provide take-away information that attendees can integrate into their lives both during and post-symposium.
If you are interested in presenting a topic, or becoming a Keynote Speaker, please contact me at the following email so I can send you a speaker application.
On behalf of Executive Director Tom Howard and the entire Illinois Firefighter Peer Support Team, we look forward to hearing from you in the near future.
This interview was released a couple of days ago and it is definitely worth sharing. Annette was one of our speakers at the first ILFFPS Symposium in March. She shares her story and how she turned it around with the help of peer support and personal resiliency.
Yesterday we celebrated my last day of active service with the Alsip Fire Department. When all is said and done, I will have served just slightly over 25 years in this uniform. Tomorrow will be different as I have worn some type of uniform that represented employment with either a federal, municipal, or private entity in service to others – dating back to my time in the Army. I had many laughs and shed some tears as I experienced both the joys and pain of others. At the end of it all, I learned 2 valuable lessons I wish to share with you all.
Everybody has stuff
From the day we arrive on this planet, the story of our
destiny begins to unfold, and with it we begin to accumulate a personal story
of both good and bad experiences. This
history follows us into the first responder world – some of which, may have
already had a profound effect on our being.
There will always be one unwavering truth about our time spent here:
there will always be multiple generations serving at the same time under our
roof.
Welcome the new members to the first responder family with
an open mind instead of with judgmental eyes as we so often tend to do. I challenge you to meet them where they are
at, get to know them as a person, and be the best mentor possible. I am not saying that you have to be best
friends, but at least observe him/her as they operate within their “norm”. This will help you to recognize when things
may not be going well and you can open a conversation with “Sit down my friend
and tell me a story.” You never know
what kind of a response that statement will prompt, but it is well worth taking
the time to do so. Due diligence can
change the life of one who is struggling.
Never Leave Behind Those Who Lift Us Up
We never enter this chosen path by ourselves, as most
certainly we bring other stakeholders along with us on this journey to include:
spouses, parents, significant others, and siblings. It is our duty to make sure they are educated
in what it is like to be a first responder.
You do not have to share every detail, about every call- just the nuts
and bolts of the profession. Why? Because this job will profoundly change is
some shape or form.
This is uber important especially if you begin to have
struggles of your own (remember, the history you bring with you can compound
this effect). There are many peer
support resources that currently exist that can help you plan in advance should
you need it. Our stakeholders need
access to these organizations, and be granted permission (by you, the
responder) to contact for assistance.
Your inner circle has the potential to travel with you on this journey
for 20 (+) years – please do not leave them behind.
To those who follow after me – it’s your world now. I leave you with an Eagles song that best
captures the moment of this day.
Take care and be well always,
Tim
P.S. I am still going to be around doing peer support as this has made all the difference in my finding balance once again.
Illinois Firefighter Peer Support Symposium Speaker Wendy Lund will be featured in this year’s summit. This is a free online event for all who are interested in attending. Click on the link below for more information.
During the first ILFFPS Symposium we walked away with practical self-care tools that we could implement immediately as we returned to our daily lives. In this segment I issue a call to action for attendees and presenters to give feed back on how things are going 3 weeks post-conference.
