Fatigue is one of the greatest contributors to workplace incidents across all industries all around the world. It is shown to be an even more tremendous factor in tactical careers, explicitly tied to accidents of all types, injury, error, and death. And suicide.
Fatigue isn’t just physical. And it’s more than being mentally “tired.” Mundane routine is as fatiguing as inundated workloads. Drastic changes as much as multiple changes.
Leave restrictions (even if you weren’t taking leave, just the knowledge of the freedom of option), the added checks and management, policy shifts, increased layers of documentation, financial forecasts at home, unexpected supply and demand adaptations, unknown timeframes, forced habit swings at work and home, just to name a few—they’re all normal.
Not so much all together in a compressed time.
Globally, everyone has done a great job in adapting. That’s what we do, right? That’s what we’re here to be good at: Adapt and overcome. It might be a military motto, but it’s true to our chosen trade and the support staff with us. Dealing with it is what makes us what we are. So that normal is just what’s expected. And not blink.
In compression, it’s not normal.
We don’t necessarily see, feel, or sense the fatigue or its factors. Are we even willing to acknowledge them? It’s there. I promise you. In one sense or another, it’s there.
How it manifests itself is wildly different for everyone. The end results are disturbingly predictable.
We can’t shake all of it. It’s not always about having that “healthy outlet” like exercise or hobbies. Much of that is in upheaval for most right now.
Take an extra minute (just a minute!) to hug your kids, turn off your brain in silence, share (two-way) with your spouse, pause a habit, or just turn off. Intentionally making any of several “slow down” moments—just one a day!—will have a greater impact than dismissing the fact that it just might be true.
John Bennett
John R. Bennett is a lieutenant with the Seminole County, FL, Fire Department.
