1. Chapter 13 The Ripple Effect

2. Overview
The ripple effect is a form of post-traumatic stress syndrome that affects participants, staff, and ancillary people involved in an accident.
Sections
Impact of the ripple effect
Symptoms of stress
Critical incident stress management

3. Impacts of the Ripple Effect
The ripple effect can affect other participants, employees, and the organization itself.
Loss of public support for the agency or service
Loss of key personnel
Loss of the program or organization

4. Impact on Participants
Participants may have a bad experience.
They may sue for damages.
This group is difficult to help because they tend to disperse and go different directions when they go home.

5. Impact on Employees
The incident can affect all employees, even those not directly involved.
Other employees often say “It could have been me.”
Employees may leave the field or may become unproductive in the organization.
If handled well, the incident can lead to growth.

6. Impact on the Organization
The ripple effect can threaten public confidence in the organization.
It can lead to the loss of the program and even loss of the organization itself.
Key personnel often migrate elsewhere.
Continuous attention by the media can be a major distraction in completing assigned tasks.

7. Symptoms of Severe Stress
Need to talk: People have a need to talk. They will talk, even if a gag order is in place.
Hypervigilance: People become hyperprotective and extremely cautious in their behavior.
Shame and guilt: People assume that someone did something wrong.
Typical phrases heard: “It could have been me” or “I’ve done the same thing.”

8. Figure 13.3

9. Critical Incident Stress Management
Three phases
Precrisis preparation: The focus is on training and accident scenarios. Defusing and debriefings are included.
Incident: The crisis management briefings and debriefings should be in place.
Postincident: Evaluation and feedback occurs.

10. Crisis Management Briefing (CMB)
CMB is a large-group intervention process.
CMB is like a town meeting that focuses on crisis intervention.
It can easily be used with groups of 300 people.
Normally, it is conducted immediately after the original incident occurs. It can be 45 to 75 minutes long.

11. Four Phases of CMB Assembly: Call people together.
Informational: Inform people and reduce rumors and misinformation.
Reactions: Identify major psychological themes of the incident and discuss their implications.
Coping strategies and resources: Discuss stress-management techniques and community resources.

12. Demobilization and Staff Consultation
Demobilization occurs during the first two or three shifts after a major incident occurs.
It provides personnel involved in the incident with information that will help them relieve stress and return to normal duties.
Because most of these personnel are trained, they normally do not require much demobilization time.

13. Demobilization Room

14. Postincident Phase
The ripple effect becomes most noticeable during the postincident phase.
The immediacy of the incident has passed and people have time to think about what happened and to discuss it with others.
This phase includes defusing, debriefing, and funneling.

15. Defusing
Defusing is a postincident technique that reduces post-traumatic stress for the secondary victims of the incident.
It is a shortened version of a debriefing.
It lasts 20 to 60 minutes.
It comprises three segments: introduction, exploration, and information.

16. Debriefing An activity for a small group (3 to 20 people)
Usually occurs 1 to 10 days after the incident occurs and lasts 1 to 3 hours
Seven phases: introduction, fact, thought, reaction, symptoms, teaching, and re-entry
Starts with cognitive needs, transitions to emotional needs, and ends with informational needs

17. Debriefing Process

18. Funneling An adventure education technique similar to debriefing
Six phases: review, recall and remember, affect and effect, summation, application, and commitment
Three questions: “When you look back on the experience, what affected you the most?” “How did it affect you?” “What did you take away from the experience?”

19. Debriefing Funnel

20. Summary
The ripple effect can have a significant, long-term, detrimental effect on the organization and its personnel.
It needs to be dealt with using appropriate counseling techniques.
Most techniques utilize trained facilitators. Funneling is one technique that recreation professionals or lay people can use.