National Fallen Firefighter Foundation's (NFFF) Stress First Aid Intervention

NCT05931523 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: EMW-2014-FP-00945
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 659
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

Purpose \& Aims: Behavioral health interventions implemented to mitigate negative outcomes linked to trauma in the fire service have had limited or iatrogenic effects on firefighters. The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) and the national fire service community have invested considerable resources developing a new behavioral health model to address exposure to traumatic events. The proposed randomized controlled trial will be the first to determine the efficacy of the NFFF's Consensus Protocol on Firefighter Behavioral Health Stress First Aid Intervention (SFAI), as well as evaluating its implementation and acceptability. Relevance: The SFAI was the result of one of the 16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives developed in consultation with the leading fire service organizations in the United States and experts from the traumatic stress research community. Failing to effectively address grief and trauma incidents or symptoms can have devastating effects for firefighters, fire departments, and families. The SFAI was developed to be the national model of trauma intervention to ensure that evidence-based cost-effective care is available to all firefighters. Methods: Using a cluster randomized clinical trial design (CRCT), experienced scientists and fire service personnel will evaluate the implementation, acceptability, and initial efficacy of the SFAI compared with usual care (i.e., delayed intervention) with 10 fire departments (8 Career, 2 Volunteer) located across the country. Study outcomes include measures assessing implementation of SFAI components, acceptability among firefighters and department leadership, changes in knowledge about and self-efficacy for managing trauma, changes in department morale, and individual firefighter behavioral health outcomes such as symptoms of PTSD and personal growth through coping with traumatic events. Projected Results \& Conclusions: Findings will provide the empirical basis for the newly developed SFAI.

Conditions

Mental Health Issue

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Acceptability of the SFA training by department personnel using a tailored satisfaction survey

  Percent of trainees who found the training useful and applicable

  Immediately after training components are delivered and 12 months later

Study Arms (2)

Stress First Aid

EXPERIMENTAL

Fire Departments received the Stress First Aid intervention trainings, tools, and resources.

Behavioral: Stress First Aid

Wait List Control

NO INTERVENTION

Fire Departments in this condition did not receive any intervention or training until the end of their observation year.

Interventions

Stress First Aid BEHAVIORAL

The focus of the model is ongoing monitoring of stress in personnel, wide spread training to help personnel recognize peers or subordinates who may need additional assistance, a spectrum of one-on-one interventions, and the ability to provide personnel higher levels of care when indicated.

Stress First Aid

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Firefighters over the age of 18 willing to complete surveys
• Active in a department selected for the study

You may not qualify if:

• Those under the age of 18

Sponsors & Collaborators

• NDRI-USA, Inc.: lead

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Senior Scientist

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 3, 2023
• First Posted: July 5, 2023
• Study Start: January 1, 2016
• Primary Completion: August 1, 2018
• Study Completion: October 1, 2018
• Last Updated: July 10, 2023

Record last verified: 2023-07

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL, SAP, ICF, CSR
• Time Frame: up to 5 years
• Access Criteria: Request from research team