911:: Rustout (was 'Burnout or just Boredom?')

[Guest guest]

At 11:52 PM 6/24/01 -0700, Mc wrote:

>As I've said before, our county is small... <snip> ... and

>NOTHING has happened for two weeks. Not that I want something

>bad to happen, but there's only so many movies you can watch,

>and only so many times you can watch them. BUT...whenever the

>phone rings, or someone comes over the radio, I have found

>myself saying >(before I answer of course)

> " What the hell is it now? " That's the only reason I think it's

>not just boredom. ... <snip>

>... It's taken whatever joy I had in this job away. And i

>don't know how to get it back. <remainder snipped>

you are probably suffering from a peculian form of

stress known as RUSTOUT. Yep, what you've got has a name.

Maybe some of the folks still active in CISM can find some of

the old articles written about rustout. IIRC, one was titled

'Burnout and Rustout: Two Sides of the Same Coin.' I kept a

copy for many years but can't find it. IIRC, it was a report

on why why so many medics left the service after a relatively

short time. Urban medics suffered burnout from too many

serious calls; rural medics suffered rustout.

We're all adrenolin junkies. When nothing's happening, the

adrenolin pump is still working. Your body is in 'fight-or-

flight' mode, prepared for the big one. Tight, tense, ready

for anything, and... Nothing happens. So, when the phone

does ring or the radio crackles, and it's more nothing, you

react in exactly the way you describe-- " What the hell is it

now? " You can't let it out. A real emergency would be a

relief, a chance to use that adrenolin productively but

nothing happens so you want to snap at everyone.

Many years ago, I actually taught CISM. I went to all the

schools... and discovered that I couldn't handle it (those on

the list for over a year may remember some of my posts on the

subject). I've personally experienced both burnout and rust-

out, in the military, as a medic, and, now, as a dispatcher.

So....

Prevention = stess management. It's stress. All the stress

prevention techniques and rules apply. If you have a CISM

program in your dept, the instructors/debriefers can (should

already have) given you literature on stress management. If

you don't have local resources, buy, beg, borrow, steal, or

otherwise procure a copy of Rich Behr's 'Under the Headset:

Surviving Dispatcher Stress.' There's nothing specific about

rustout (Hey, Rich! Got enough material for the 'second

edition' yet?) but lots about stress management. Go right

to the back where it talks about dealing with stress, then

read the whole thing. I'm a firm believer in exercise. Burn

off excess adrenolin using nature's way of handling 'fight-or-

light' hormones. You may prefer meditation. But do some-

thing about your stress or you will continue to suffer... and

it will get worse, possibly leading to ulcers, IBS, or a host

of other problems. There are lots of stress management links

at: http://www.911dispatch.com/cism/cism_page.html

The Cure = training. When nothing happens, we worry. Will

we be ready when the Big One finaly comes in? Will we remem-

ber the protocol? What if I forget to... When we start to

question our ability to handle the job, when we worry about

the next call, it's time to go back to basics. Subscribe to

Dispatch Magazine and others and read about how others

handled calls. Take an APCO class on-line. Review the

training resources at 911dispatch,com. has an entire

dispatch university that's free. If possible, get out to a

class or go to a state, regional, or the national APCO

conference. Absorb information and realize that you aren't

alone. Folks in the big centers can't really relate to

little places like Falls Church and Swain County. Some

of 'em even think that it would be a relief to have nothing

to do. Well, it is... for about 3 hours.. NOT 3 weeks.

You can't rust if you keep moving and keep learning.

Always take good care of yourself and yours,

Calls occur randomly... all at the same time!

R J 'Tree' Greenwood

doctree@... on 911 Console

doctree@... on 911-Talk