mental health Archives - Situational Awareness Matters!™

Mental Health Mayday – The Verne and Chancy Friesen Story – Part 2 (Episode 311)

Leave a Comment / Accountability, Anger, Assertiveness, Assumptions, Attitude, Bravado, Building Construction, Close Call, Communications, Culture, Decision Making, Defiance, Denial, Emotions, Expectations, Fear, Human Behavior, Illness, Judgment, Leadership, Lost Focus, Mindfulness, Miscommunications, Perception Of Reality, Pressure, Risk, Risk Assessment, Safety, SAMatters Radio, Selective Listening, Situational awareness, Situational Readiness, Stress / Rich Gasaway

This interview is part 2 of a 2-part interview with Laverne Friesen and his wife, Chancy, talking about his mental health near miss and how they are working through the challenges together. Length: 56 minutes Click the YouTube icon to watch the full VIDEO __________________________________________________ If you are interested in taking your […]

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Mental Health Mayday – The Verne and Chancy Friesen Story – Part 1 (Episode 310)

This interview is part 1 of a 2-part interview with Laverne Friesen and his wife, Chancy, talking about his mental health near miss and how they are working through the challenges together. Length: 51 minutes Click the YouTube icon to watch the full VIDEO __________________________________________________ If you are interested in taking your

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A Mental Health Mayday. The Laverne Friesen Story – Part 2 (Episode 302)

Leave a Comment / Accountability, Anger, Attitude, Bravado, Close Call, Communications, Decision Making, Denial, Disoriented, Ego, Emotions, Fear, Frustration, Human Behavior, Illness, Invincible, Judgment, Mindfulness, Miscommunications, Near Miss, Optimism, Over Confident, Overwhelm, Pressure, Risk, Risk Assessment, Safety, SAMatters Radio, Stress / Rich Gasaway

Today’s episode is Part 2 of my 2-part interview with Laverne Friesen, a first responder who is confronting the stigma of mental illness head-on as he shares his first-hand account of how work-related stress was leading him down a dark path toward suicide. He shares intimate details of what that experience was like, how it

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A Mental Health Mayday. The Laverne Friesen Story – Part 1 (Episode 301)

1 Comment / Accountability, Anger, Attitude, Bravado, Close Call, Communications, Decision Making, Denial, Disoriented, Ego, Emotions, Fear, Frustration, Human Behavior, Illness, Invincible, Judgment, Mindfulness, Miscommunications, Near Miss, Optimism, Over Confident, Overwhelm, Pressure, Risk, Risk Assessment, Safety, SAMatters Radio, Stress / Rich Gasaway

Today’s episode is Part 1 of my 2-part interview with Laverne Friesen, a first responder who is confronting the stigma of mental illness head-on as he shares his first-hand account of how work-related stress was leading him down a dark path toward suicide. He shares intimate details of what that experience was like, how it

A Mental Health Mayday. The Laverne Friesen Story – Part 1 (Episode 301) Read More »

Episode 27: Preparing for your climb down the ladder: Retirement

Leave a Comment / Accountability, Communications, Crew Resource Management, Culture, Decision Making, Emotions, Fear, Firefighter Situational Awareness, Human Behavior, Leadership, SAMatters Radio, Situational awareness, Stress / Rich Gasaway

On this episode, I interview Jeff Dill from the Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance and Fire Chief (ret.) Les Karpluk who operates Genesis 2020 Solutions, a leadership teaching and consulting company located in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada. This interview focuses on a topic we are all going to face one day – leaving the fire service.

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Episode 20: Mayday for Mental Health

Leave a Comment / Attention Management, Communications, Culture, Decision Making, Emotions, Fear, Firefighter Situational Awareness, Human Behavior, Leadership, Mayday and RIT, Safety, SAMatters Radio, Situational awareness, Standard Operating Procedures/Guidelines, Stress / Rich Gasaway

This episode chronicles a father’s story of inspiration from tragedy. Listen in as I interview Fire Chief Patrick Kenny from the Village of Western Springs, Illinois Fire Department. Chief Kenny talks candidly about losing his son, Sean, to suicide – and the importance of mental health for first responders. Length: 33 minutes click the YouTube

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