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A phenomenological analysis of disaster-related experiences in fire and emergency medical services personnel

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De Soir, Erik [Ecole Royale Militaire] Knarren, Marcia [University of Maastricht, Maastricht, The Netherlands] Zech, Emmanuelle [UCL] Mylle, Jacques [Ecole Royale Militaire] Kleber, Rolf [University of Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands] van der Hart, Onno [University of Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands]

This article explores the experiences of fire and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel during and immediately after a technological event using a phenomenological approach. Personnel engaged in the rescue operations during and immediately after the Ghislenghien gas explosion reflected upon their experiences in their responses to a specially designed, self-reporting questionnaire that included open-ended questions. Firefighters reported more perceived threat and direct exposure to death than did EMS personnel. Qualitative analysis indicates that the central characteristics of this potentially traumatizing event were the suddenness and massiveness of the impact, and the fact that it involved young victims and/or multiple deaths. With regard to emotions, powerlessness, horror, fear, a sense of apocalypse, and grief were experienced by both firefighters and EMS personnel. Firefighters noted that the death of colleagues, the involvement of friends and family, the massive impact, and exposure to the burned victims were most shocking. Emergency Medical Services personnel and in-hospital staff reported the impact, the confrontation with death, the involvement of friends and family, and the pain, suffering, and screaming of burned victims as the most shocking aspects of this event. Qualitative differences in the lived experiences of firefighters, EMS personnel, and in-hospital staff might be explained by differences in life threat, contact with death, and various degrees of training.

Document type Article de périodique (Journal article) – Article de recherche
Access type Accès mixte
Publication date 2012
Language Anglais
Journal information "Prehospital and Disaster Medicine : an international journal" - Vol. 27, no. 2, p. 115-122 (2011)
Peer reviewed yes
issn 1049-023X
e-issn 1945-1938
Publication status Publié
Affiliations Ecole Royale Militaire - Psychology
UCL - SSH/IACS - Institute of Analysis of Change in Contemporary and Historical Societies
UCL - SSH/IPSY - Psychological Sciences Research Institute
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Bibliographic reference De Soir, Erik ; Knarren, Marcia ; Zech, Emmanuelle ; Mylle, Jacques ; Kleber, Rolf ; et. al. A phenomenological analysis of disaster-related experiences in fire and emergency medical services personnel. In: Prehospital and Disaster Medicine : an international journal, Vol. 27, no. 2, p. 115-122 (2011)
Permanent URL http://hdl.handle.net/2078.1/76356