Background: First responders frequently respond to critical incidents (CI), causing stress, secondary trauma, and PTSD. Currently, first responders are provided with critical incident stress debriefing (CISD) training. Without pre-trauma exposure or pre-CI intervention, first responders are at a greater risk for increased secondary trauma symptoms (STS) and high risk of burnout, attrition, substance abuse, compassion fatigue, insomnia, post-traumatic stress, depression and suicide. Stigma is a huge factor, limiting those in need from asking for assistance. The increased incidence of first responder suicides contributed to national safety initiatives to prevent firefighter line of duty deaths and injuries. Evidence-Based Practice Framework: Kurt Lewin’s Change Theory was the basis behind the project. Lewin theorized an individual’s behavior can be changed by the three concepts and three stages. The John Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based Practice guided the project to ensure the most up to date research findings and evidence based practices were correctly integrated into patient care. Methods: The Professional Quality of Life, version 5 questionnaire, the trauma screening questionnair (TSQ), the abbreviated PCL, and the PC-PTSD-5 questionnaire were used to collect data prior to and following the intervention. First responders were educated about CI including symptom awareness, single vs cumulative effects, secondary trauma, PTSD, compassion fatigue, and suicide prevention.Participants were introduced to an online learning module, online applications, and learning resources. Findings/Results: All nine participants had compassion satisfaction with no burnout or compassion fatigue; however, two were identified as at-risk for PTSD on the TSQ, three on the PCL and four on the PC-PTSD-5. Initially, knowledge about post-trauma symptoms and self-care increased 22.63% from baseline, however, after 30 days knowledge had improved 7.74% from baseline, indicating a decline in knowledge retention. Conclusion/Recommendations: First responders are at increased risk for PTSD yet may not be aware of CI symptoms including secondary trauma. Following a single educational intervention, knowledge retention declined quickly. Pre CI-exposure intervention is recommended as a primary prevention for symptom awareness.
