Transcript from an interview with BRAD COLE aired 3/10/2022:
Through our dogs we have the ability to help
clinicians, peer support, and Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM)
team members connect and engage during and after a critical
incident. The dogs assist in getting people into the mental health system sooner, rather than later. There are things that dogs can do that
humans can't do. Dogs don't judge. They exist. One of my favorite cartoons
is Snoopy and Charlie Brown sitting on top of a doghouse just looking up at the
sky. They bear witness without passing judgment. Studies have shown that people are more trustworthy with a dog,
and we leverage that fact to connect, engage, and start a
conversation with those impacted by trauma. The toughest,
most seasoned, (or some might say crusty)
veteran responder says, “I'm fine, I don't
need anybody,” but they'll talk to the dog for a half hour before talking to a
human about what's bothering them."
There is a difference between what our dogs do and what therapy dogs do. Therapy dogs provide a very important function and service
to the community overall. They're more of a passive, feel-good support, improving the general morale and well-being of
people overall. K9 First Responders provide
support to clinicians and other crisis team members
by actively making connection and engagement.
That's our primary function.
Once the K9s
connect with a person who has been exposed to a traumatic incident, that
person can share what's bothering them and eventually
accept higher-level mental health care. Our dogs are a tool to help move responders
towards getting care. We utilize
techniques to bridge the gap between a traumatic event and the connection to
mental health support.
K9 First Responders actively help people
come down from the crisis on the physiological level,
through the parasympathetic nervous system. When petting
and interacting with the dogs, a
responder’s stress is lowered. It allows the
responder to be present in the moment, and hopefully not think about the tragedy they witnessed or experienced. They get
to pet the dog, get permission to put themselves on hold, and by extension
allow themselves to be human.
Trauma happens as a critical event takes place. It's called Zero Hour
Behavioral Health Management. Traditional response protocols used to be 24 to
48 hours afterwards, but we learned through the responses to Sandy Hook,
Parkland, and Las Vegas that those mental health interventions should happen as
soon as the incident begins because the trauma is already taking place. By
responding to an incident sooner rather than later, we can address the issue of
the stress hormone cortisol and its production. Studies have indicated that
stress, blood pressure, cortisol levels, and memory processing are positively
impacted by the dog.
We had one fire department in particular, where two members of the
department walked in, and as the debriefing was occurring those two members sat
apart from everyone in different areas. Later, when everyone went around the
circle to introduce themselves, the first thing those two members said was,
“The reason we stayed here was because of the dog.”
EPILOGUE
The dogs don't pass judgment. One of our toughest jobs as handlers is being quiet at that moment.
If we're working an active scene, although we want to help people, our job at that point is to let the dog do the work by
connecting with someone. We have a little dog named Gizmo on our teams, and some people just want to hold Gizmo. Dogs like Gizmo help them get stabilized or grounded. Through that unique
connection, those affected can find solace and open up about their struggles,
paving the way for essential mental health care. Our dogs serve as invaluable
tools in guiding responders toward the assistance they need.
# # #
ABOUT BRAD
BRAD COLE is the K9FR subject matter expert and Zero-Hour Behavioral
Health Management influencer. He has 36
years experience in security/crisis management and investigations. Combined with his years of guard force management,
Brad brings a strong operational and training discipline to K9FR. His experience with government, diplomatic,
medical and corporate clients enhances K9FR’s operational effectiveness. Brad is an Active Shooter/Hostile Event Response (ASHER) Program
Specialist, Certified Fraud Examiner, Licensed Private Investigator and Security
Consultant. He attended Champlain
College and Northeastern University for AS Law Enforcement and BS Criminal
Justice degrees respectively. Brad is also credentialed in Critical Incident
Stress Management (CISM), Post Traumatic Stress Management (PTSM),
Psychological First Aid (PFA), Tactical Psychological First Aid (T-PFA), Skills
for Psychological Recovery (SPR) and
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA). https://k9fr.org/
REINVENTING THE WELLNESS CARE MARKET: BRINGING BACK THE HOUSE CALL!
INSIGHT ON PEMF- AN INTERVIEW with Kate Baccus, Occupational Therapist
I originally found out about P E M F in 2018 as a result of my horse having a non-healing wound. He had had a laceration to the back of one of his heels on a front foot and while it didn't seem to hit any important structures, we just couldn't seem to get it to close. We tried all of the traditional veterinary therapies. He wasn't limping or anything but we could not get that wound to close. And with an open wound, he was not able to go back to being ridden. I was grasping at straws and my vet really wasn't sure what else we could do at that point. So I went searching on the internet for anything that I could find that might kind of be out of the box thinking that could help his body potentially close this wound. That's when I came across P E M F as a modality. Being an occupational therapist, I dove head first into the research. I went on PubMed and just started looking at all the different studies and was really encouraged by what I saw because it seemed like the worst thing that could happen with using it was that nothing would happen. There weren't really any terrible side effects or risk of infection or anything like that because it's a non-invasive modality. But the potential for helping the body to recover from injuries was pretty well clinically documented. With a little more research, I found the right technology for my horse.
BIOFEEDBACK FOR OUR FURRY FRIENDS:
Made for Humans, helpful for Animals
In the advent of the non-invasive therapeutic movement (early 80's), scientifically developed devices like near infrared laser (photobiomodulation), shockwave, PEMF, nTMS (neuro-transcranial magnetic stimulation) and other marvels of engineering expanded the market of personalized functional therapy. An innovation in regenerative medicine called ONDAMED stood out in the race for "alternative" and intuitive medicine. After more than 20 years of research and clinical use globally, this advanced Class II-a medical technology has been approved for personalized treatment unique to each living being with the help of a Biofeedback method plus the use of focused pulsed electromagnetic fields (fPEMF). The device was designed to create a treatment modality for the medical field, offering a non-invasive, targeted intervention driven by the patient’s hidden emotional information, potentially linking to physiological stress and disease- and contributing to hemodynamics and cell regeneration. This non-invasive therapeutic approach helps patients improve their stress tolerance. Stress is linked to most common disease. It is therefore critical to offer our patients relaxation training and improvement of attentiveness to their bodies, and their state of emotion.Dr. Leslie Valle-Montoya, a visionary physician in Santa Barbara, California established a functional health practice (Sta. Barbara Longevity Center) based on solutions like the ONDAMED, alongside other state of the art solutions. Dr. Montoya takes on some of the most challenging research projects and clinical disorders (from autism, cancer symptoms, inflammatory and auto immune disorders to smoking cessation) and is no stranger to this technological level of wellness in her practice. She often combines treatment systems like her hyperbaric chamber with BrainTap (a meditation-based therapy) with PEMF- and a host of other devices in her arsenal.
But recently, a rather large, 4-legged patient embodied her treatment office. A 12-year old Great Dane named BUTTERCUP. She was diagnosed with Ostheosarcoma in right leg. "In this case, we have a clear idea how long Buttercup has in this Earth, but if we can address her pain by reducing the inflammation, my work with her is about quality of life- and using modalities like the Ondamed can make a major difference", Says Dr. Montoya.
Step into the world of RESPONDER RESILIENCE, an insightful podcast that sheds light on the challenges and triumphs of firefighters, EMTs, dispatchers, and law enforcement professionals. Hear firsthand accounts from our community's finest as they discuss critical issues on the job and share their experiences with hosts Lt. David Dachinger (ret.), Bonnie Rumilly LCSW/EMT and Dr. Stacy Raymond. Explore topics of mental and physical wellness with emergency services thought leaders, and get ready to be inspired and gain a deeper appreciation for their sacrifices and resilience.
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Transcript from an interview with BRAD COLE aired 3/10/2022:
K9 First Responders actively help people
come down from the crisis on the physiological level,
through the parasympathetic nervous system. When petting
and interacting with the dogs, a
responder’s stress is lowered. It allows the
responder to be present in the moment, and hopefully not think about the tragedy they witnessed or experienced. They get
to pet the dog, get permission to put themselves on hold, and by extension
allow themselves to be human.
We had one fire department in particular, where two members of the
department walked in, and as the debriefing was occurring those two members sat
apart from everyone in different areas. Later, when everyone went around the
circle to introduce themselves, the first thing those two members said was,
“The reason we stayed here was because of the dog.”
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