b'TRAINING: BEHAVORIALHEALTH AWARENESSmeals close to bedtime can help maintain a healthy weight andFire fighters are often exposed to traumatic events and improve sleep quality. Stefanos Kales, MD, MPR, director of thehazardous situations on the job, which can take a toll on their Occupational Medicine Residency at the Harvard Chan School ofmental and emotional health. This can lead to a variety of Public Health, advocates for the Mediterranean diet as an effectivebehavioral health issues such as anxiety, depression, post-nutritional approach for fire fighters due to its numerous healthtraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance abuse. These benefits, including reduced risk of heart disease, improved weightconditions can have a significant impact on a fire fighters management and increased overall well-being. personal and professional life and can negatively affect their Staying active: Physical activity can help improve sleepability to perform their duties effectively.quality and boost energy levels. Fire fighters can try toTherefore, it is crucial to educate fire fighters in the recruit incorporate regular exercise into their schedules, even if it meansacademy on the behavioral health impacts of their job and finding short, high-intensity workouts that they can do duringprovide them with tools and resources to create resilience. By breaks or after their shifts. doing so, they can better understand the importance of taking Limiting caffeine, alcohol and energy drinks: Caffeine,care of their mental and emotional well-being and develop alcohol and energy drinks can interfere with sleep, so itscoping strategies to manage the stress of their job.important to limit their intake, especially close to bedtime. In addition to educating fire fighters on the impact of trauma Building a supportive network: Fire fighters should try toand stress on their behavioral health, the recruit academy can build a supportive network of friends, family and colleagues whoalso provide training on resiliency skills and techniques. This can can help them manage the demands of shift work. include mindfulness practices, stress-management techniques, and Managing stress: Stress can have a negative impactstrategies for building and maintaining supportive relationships. on sleep quality, so its important for fire fighters to developAdditionally, recruit academies can provide information on available effective stress-management strategies, such as mindfulness andsupport resources, such as counseling services, peer support relaxation techniques, in addition to regular exercise. programs and employee assistance programs, which can be Seeking support: Fire fighters who experience symptomsbeneficial to fire fighters as they navigate the challenges of their job.of shift work sleep disorders or other health problems relatedIn conclusion, educating fire fighters in the recruit to shift work should seek support from a Peer Support Teamacademy and throughout their career on behavioral health member, a healthcare provider or a mental health professional. impacts and ways to create resilience is essential for By implementing these strategies, fire fighters can helppromoting their mental and emotional well-being, improving mitigate the negative effects of shift work and improve theirjob performance and reducing the likelihood of behavioral overall health and well-being. health problems in the future.25'