Decorah Dispatcher and Police Chief attend training to implement a peer support group

Photos courtesy of the Decorah Police Department Facebook page

Decorah Dispatcher Lisa Kruse and Chief Dave Smutzler have both recently attended training with the Peer Support Foundation.

Dispatcher Kruse and Chief Smutzler have started the process to implement a peer support group in North East Iowa. The program — Peer Support Foundation — was founded by Des Moines Police Sgt. Jeremy Sprague, who went through a crisis situation of his own when he was involved in an on-duty shooting 13 years ago.

Through his experience he learned about the psychosocial impacts on himself, family and co-workers. He said in a news release that his personal experience also allowed him to recognize other emergency service personnel that were suffering from post-traumatic stress following critical incidents. There is no doubt that first responders deal with unique stressors in their work life that affects them both personally and professionally. These everyday stressors have a significant impact on the first responders, their families, friends and the agencies they work for.

Dispatcher Kruse and Chief Smutzler learned how to recognize the signs of crisis and stress on those who put their lives first to ensure the safety of others.