Addressing Bullying in the Fire Rescue Service - with Fire Chiefs Kerwood and Emanuel

In the aftermath of the suicide of a 31-year-old firefighter in 2016, family and colleagues suggested that one contributing factor was lewd and harassing comments that had been made about the firefighter in a popular online forum. In response to this and other incidents, the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) established a Task Force to help identify and prevent bullying, harassment, and violence in the fire rescue service. Across the United States for the past 100 years, October has been celebrated as National Fire Prevention Month. In 2022, October is also the 16th celebration of World Bullying Prevention Month. In this episode of the Psych Health and Safety USA podcast, Fire Chief Dr. Scott Kerwood and Fire Chief David Emanuel discuss their involvement in ongoing efforts to address one of the most commonly occurring and best understood psychosocial hazards (bullying) and how it impacts one of America’s most respected occupations.