Giving Back to Those Who’ve Got Our Backs

By Christine Stearns

May 20, 1988:  Laurie Dann Hostage Standoff Winnetka, Illinois

Aug 28, 1990:  F5 Tornado Plainfield, Illinois – F5 tornado killed 29 people

Apr-Oct 1993:  Great Flood of 1993 – From Iowa and Missouri to Southern Illinois, record rains breach the levees and banks along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers..

Feb 10, 2003:  Train Derailment Tamaroa, Illinois – A freight train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed, spewing toxic vapors into the air and forced the evacuation of approximately 1,000 residents.

Dec 6, 2008:  Pyramids Fire Carbondale, Illinois – The Pyramid Apartments fire near Southern Illinois University killed 5 students and many others injured while trying to get to safety.

April-May 2011:  Flood Metropolis, Illinois – Record rain caused major flooding where the Ohio and Mississippi rivers converge.Volunteers struggled to fill 20,000 sandbags in an hour.

Feb 29, 2012:  EF4 Tornado Harrisburg, Illinois – EF4 tornado killed 8 people and injured 108 people

Nov 17, 2013:  EF4 Tornado Washington, Illinois – EF4 tornado killed 3 people and damaged over 1,000 homes.

Nov 17, 2017: Tornado Brookport, Illinois – population 1000, E2 tornado kills 3 people.

 

You may wonder what these events have to do with the Illinois chapter of AMTA . Well, clearly they were catastrophic events, and we all know Illinois is not the only state or place in the world where these misfortunes occur. We are in the midst of hurricane season, yet not all emergencies are weather related. They can be industrial catastrophes as well as manmade, as we’ve recently witnessed in the news.

All of these events and others around the globe have one thing in common. They require lots of public safety manpower. The duties those men and women perform require enormous mental and physical stamina. Many times the first responders are running purely on adrenaline..   

People tend to focus on the victims of these terrible events, which indeed should be the primary focus of emergency personnel during that time. But what about those first responders? Fire fighters, EMT’s and police officers, men and women like you and me who answer the calls?  They often spend many long hours and extended shifts securing the scenes, protecting the public from further harm during these devastating events.  Sometimes this occurs during inclement weather or even at the risk of exposing themselves to imminent danger.

My husband and I are both retired from law enforcement and know firsthand about the physical and psychological stress that accompanies such a line of work. Already long midnight shifts sometimes run longer into the next day, There are countless incidents of assisting the fire department and paramedics, such as the case with the December 2008 “Pyramids Fire”. Much is needed to secure the perimeters of a scene due to situations such as train derailments, evacuations, hostage situations, and areas devastated by storms.

I could go on about the many facets of a day in the life and times of public safety workers, but my purpose here is to draw your attention to what happens during AND after a catastrophic event occurs.

We already know that massage therapy “can be” beneficial for relaxation and pain relief for conditions such as arthritis, fibromyalgia and general muscle soreness from being overworked. In fact, the  primary goal of many of massage therapists is the treatment of muscle strain, injury and general soreness.

This is not recent news, but  research findings compiled by the American Massage Therapy Association and published in “Massage Therapy Research Roundup” (Vol. 4) highlight the role of massage therapy in mental health and wellness. Research has strongly suggested that massage therapy “can offer” relief from symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression.

 

Therefore, I’m  writing to raise awareness of the stress, anxiety and depression that first responders often experience during and after their involvement in critical and catastrophic emergencies. I also want to call your attention to AMTA’s involvement in response to these events.

AMTA has partnered with the American Red Cross and FEMA to establish Community Service Massage Therapist teams (CSMT) which are comprised of AMTA members only.

My husband responded to and assisted as Critical Incident Commander during the Washington, IL tornado back in 2013.  When he returned home he said an unnamed massage therapist had posted a sign offering “Free Massage” and set up close to the makeshift Central Command Center. Due to limited resources such as housing, food and water,  often those who just show up at a scene like that become part of the problem instead of part of the solution.

Several AMTA chapters have already established CSMT teams under their Outreach Committee’s umbrella, whose mission is to “help the helpers” so to speak. AMTA-IL has begun the process of building a CSMT response team, and we are seeking volunteers throughout our state who are willing to be trained and volunteer their time in the event of a community emergency.  Once a scene has been secured and poses no further threat to anyone, CSMT teams are invited into the perimeters of the event under the authority of the Incident Commander and the guidance of the Red Cross. Since police, fire and medical response is not within our scope of practice, the goal of the Community Service Massage Therapist is to offer respite for the first responders only

Members interested in becoming a volunteer for the AMTA-IL CSMT team, can learn more about it by visiting our chapter booth at the AMTA-IL 2018 Spring Conference and Member Meeting, which is April 6, 7, and 8. More information and conference registration will be posted on the chapter website soon. In the meantime, you may contact Tony Karoumi, the AMTA-IL Outreach Committee Chair or myself at our emails listed below.

AMTA is a trusted organization which has gained the respect and endorsements of not only the American Red Cross, but also the Mayo Clinic, American Medical Association, FDA, American Academy of Dermatology, University of Texas Anderson Cancer Center, the American Academy of Family Physicians and the United States of America Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

We are excited about and looking forward to establishing a CSMT team for our chapter. Now is the time to “give back” (get it- give back?) to the ones who’ve got our backs.  Please spread the word to other AMTA members and consider volunteering for this unique outreach opportunity.

For more information contact Tony Karoumi  AMTA.TonyKaroumi@gmail.com or Christine Stearns cestearnsmk@gmail.com