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Dave, Sally, Allan & Gordon - Engineers
Dave, Sally, Allan & Gordon are a team of pump engineers working for a water authority and they have just started a maintenance task on some pumps that are close to a small aerodrome. The relaxed but capable team, led by Dave, is enjoying the work in warm sunny weather; there is plenty of banter and the weekend beckons - when they hear the sound of a light aircraft approaching that is obviously having engine trouble.
In the short interval as the plane passes over the pumping station, the aircraft is low enough for them to see two faces anxiously looking out of the cockpit. They watch helpless as the aircraft overflies them and continues to lose height until it crashes into a small copse approximately a mile away. With the aircraft now out of site they can see where it came to rest by the plume of smoke rising into the air.
Dave tells Sally to start up the vehicle and together they attend the accident. Allan is told to phone the emergency services and for he and Gordon to follow them to the scene in their pickup vehicle. They are able to make rapid progress across the field and on arrival at the crash site they find the aircraft still intact, but with its nose and cockpit deep in broken saplings and undergrowth. Oily smoke is coming from both engines, but at the moment there is no indication of flame. Grabbing their fire extinguishers, Dave & Sally make a start on dousing down the port engine.
Having called 999, Allan & Gordon arrive and commence to tackle the starboard engine. Within minutes the extinguishers are discharged, but they are pleased to see that the smoke emissions have now ceased. As the emergency services have not yet arrived, they decide that they will make a start on freeing the passengers. As they approach the cockpit they see the two passengers (one male, one female) slumped over the controls. The female appears to be bleeding heavily from the forehead and both appear to be unconscious. The first problem is that they need tools urgently. Firstly, to clear the tree branches and secondly, to gain access to the aircraft. It is at this juncture they realise that all their hand & power tools are still at the pumping station. Dave tells Sally and Gordon to go back to the station and collect what tools they can and return without delay. With the two pickups departed, Dave and Allen attempt to clear the branches from the doors.
They are three minutes into the task and there is still no sign of the occupants regaining consciousness. As they wrestle the branches away, Allan suddenly becomes aware of smoke filling the cockpit. As he calls Dave, they see that there are also flames spreading through the seating area. Despite hearing the sirens of the emergency vehicles they frantically renew their efforts to rescue the passengers. The heat levels rapidly increase and it becomes obvious to them that without specialist equipment they can do no more.
When the Emergency Services arrive, the aircraft is fully alight. Allan is suffering from second degree burns to his arms, thighs and upper chest. Dave is suffering from mild smoke inhalation. Before the Ambulances arrive Sally & Gordon return to the site and they decide to head back to the Pumping Station. Despite the presence of the police and fire crews nobody appears to be interested in them. They are not acknowledged and nobody asks for their names or details. Subdued, they return to the station and watch the remainder of the proceedings from a distance. Two hours later they appear blackened and smoky at the Water Company’s Maintenance Depot.
Nobody appears to be interested in the incident or their roles in the rescue attempt. The only person who speaks to them is the ‘HSE manager’, who berates them at length about the fact he will have to arrange to have the extinguishers recharged and serviced. He is not interested about the circumstances of their use.
During the weekend a member of the local newspaper contacts the Water Company Press Office. She has heard in the village pub that four of their employees may have heroically attempted to rescue the two occupants. Nobody in the Press Office is aware of the rescue attempt and the Duty Press Officer, annoyed at being called out, categorically denies the story. It is only on the following Monday when the HSE Manager approaches the General Manager to make a formal complaint about the gross misuse of Water Company equipment (i.e. the fire extinguishers) that the penny drops. Aware that the Company may not have fully discharged its duty of care, the General Manager arranges for the two teams to be seen by two Stress Practitioners.
During the TRiM interview, 2 trained practitioners would sensitively ask the team about the event and they would be alert for signs that any of them might have been excessively affected by the incident.
- In Dave’s case they would have spotted that he was having feelings of guilt about not having the correct equipment and that he had been involved in a previous work-related two-person fatality.
- In Sally’s case the Practitioners would see that at this early stage, she had not been adversely affected by the incident at all.
- In Allan’s case they would see that he was having some serious issues following the crash: that he was feeling guilty about not saving the victims; that he had poor support mechanisms in place at home and that he had been involved in body recovery from a helicopter crash whilst serving in the army and that he now constantly re-runs both incidents.
- In Gordon’s case the Practitioners would see that his life was in total disarray: bouts of heavy drinking brought on by seeing again the faces of those that died, both as they flew overhead and later as corpses; that he had vivid flashbacks brought on by the smell of oil and, when alone at night, that he was weeping uncontrollably.
These too are all evidence-based indicators that some members of the team are not adjusting well to this traumatic experience. With gentle guidance and some practical advice, they would aim to mentor Dave, Allan and Gordon whilst they recovered from the episode. Should they not recover, they would encourage them to seek more focussed pastoral care and/or professional help. In the case of a group or team of this nature, it would be encouraged to talk the incident through together in order to begin the rationalisation process. Importantly, the TRiM Practitioners would not provide therapy or interfere with the recovery process. Instead, using 'watchful waiting', they would aim to support the team whilst monitoring how each member was progressing.
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