Issue 1: Bringing Your Alarm System Back Down
Welcome to the first issue of Before the Call™ Monthly. Each month I'll share one practical tool you can use on shift, one idea for the people at home, and one note for the officers and supervisors who look out for their crews. It's short enough to read between calls.
This Month's Tool: The Double Inhale
After a stressful call, your body stays in alarm mode long after the scene is clear. Heart rate up, jaw tight, mind replaying it. You can't think your way out of that, but you can breathe your way down.
Breathe in through your nose.
At the top, take a second short sip of air to fully fill your lungs.
Breathe out slowly through your mouth, longer than you breathed in.
Repeat for one to five minutes.
You can do this in the rig on the way back to quarters, and nobody has to know.
Why It Works
A long, slow exhale engages the parasympathetic nervous system, your body's brakes. In a 2023 Stanford study, people who practiced this kind of breathing (called cyclic sighing) for five minutes a day over a month reported better mood than a group practicing mindfulness meditation. It is one of the fastest ways we know to tell your body the call is over.
For the People at Home
When your responder walks in the door quiet, it is usually not about you. Their body may still be running on the last call. A simple question like "Do you want to talk, or do you need a few minutes first?" gives them a choice and keeps the door open.
For Officers and Supervisors
Watch for changes, not single bad days. Someone who stops sitting at the table for meals, picks up every overtime shift, or snaps at things they used to laugh off may be carrying more than they're saying. A private "Hey, you've seemed off lately. How are you doing?" costs nothing and can matter a lot.
Coming Up
Next month: why some stress builds you up and some wears you down, and how to tell the difference. Training dates and conference talks will be listed here as they're scheduled. To bring Before the Call™ to your department, on-site or online, visit beforethecalltraining.com and choose Request Training.
If you or someone on your crew is in crisis, call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, any time, day or night.
Stay safe, Jason Roberts, MA, LPC Firefighter Paramedic and Licensed Professional Counselor Before the Call™ is a program of Valor Counseling and Holistic Services, LLC
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