Wellbeing at Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service

This season, there has been a real focus on health and wellbeing, with targeted men and women’s sessions taking place throughout November and December at headquarters.

The first event looked at men’s health concerns and was well-received. Men are often considered ‘hard to reach’ when it comes to health but definitely not disinterested.

Topics discussed included mental resilience, prostate awareness and the importance of talking about feelings, combatting the broad view that men often bottle up their emotions.

The women’s health and wellbeing day, also had an excellent turn- out with lots of positive engagement. Discussions took place about managing the menopause, the importance of breast screening and how performance psychology can enhance resilience. Participants were invited to get creative with a local pottery artist to improve wellbeing.

Here is what some of those attending the sessions thought:

Ian Miller, HFRC Technician based at Stafford, said: “The presentations were interesting and thought-provoking. It has really raised my awareness of various health issues and symptoms. In fact, I’m going to book an appointment with my GP as a result of attending the session so it has had quite a big impact on me.”

Media Officer Michelle Hunt added: “The event was really interesting and insightful with the speakers, in particular Dr Jamie Barker, raising some very relevant points and giving advice that will not only be helpful when coping with stressful situation in the workplace, but also in home life too. If the opportunity arises in the future, I would definitely recommend the session to those who were unable to attend this time around.”

Eccleshall firefighter Euan McRobie said: “We were given some advice on mental wellbeing and how to deal with stress which I think will be a major benefit to me and others on the course in the future. The key message was that we should concentrate on the things that we are in control of and not worry about the things that are out of our control. It is a philosophy that I will be applying in my day-to-day life.”