Daniel Sundahl's artwork about first responder stress

When I first stumbled across Daniel Sundahl's artwork about first responder stress, it left a resounding impression. A major theme in my upcoming novel A Bone to Pick is first responder stress and the marks it can leave on a person. (A Bone to Pick is the second book in the XK9 Trilogy, with a projected pub date in August 2020).

Post-traumatic stress is a huge problem for first responders

The toll that traumatic events can take on professionals who are regularly exposed to blood, gore, violence and death is huge. The first responder community is beginning to understand it's impossible for people to "tough it out" indefinitely and continue to thrive, without help and support. But cultural change is slow, and it's hard for "tough guys" of both/all genders to admit they need help.

In his public appearances, Daniel Sundahl uses his artwork to get people talking about hard-to-discuss issues. (This December 2019 photo is currently Daniel's Facebook profile picture.)

Unfortunately, it also can be hard for them to find help once they realize they need it. That culture of denial can go all the way to the top. And the US has never been a great haven of enlightenment when it comes to mental health.

Daniel is a firefighter and paramedic as well as an artist. He's also an activist on the topic of first responder post-traumatic stress. He pours his passion on the subject into both his artwork and his speaking engagements.

With that introduction, I hope you'll be moved and fascinated by Daniel Sundahl's artwork about first responder stress. He depicts scenes featuring all types of first responders. In this post I've shared one example each from Communications/Dispatch, EMS, Fire, and Police.

But you can see much more of his work on his website and his Facebook page. All images are © by Daniel Sundahl and DanSun Photo Art, and have been used with the artist's permission. Please do not reproduce or re-post them without express permission from Daniel!

Communications Departments

The Ghosts of Dispatch © by Daniel Sundahl. Of this image, he writes, "Speaking with someone as they kill themselves or hearing someone pleading for help as they're being murdered is something the rest of us just don't understand. This one is for all the dispatchers. Stay safe brothers and sisters." 

My first encounter with Daniel's art came when I discovered The Ghosts of Dispatch while searching for images to illustrate my blog post "Merry Christmas, and be careful out there." It took my breath away the first time I saw it, for a multitude of reasons. 

Emergency Medical Services

Is anything I can say that's more eloquent than what Daniel himself has written about this next image?

Children of Heaven © by Daniel Sundahl. "I often hear from fellow Paramedics of the terrible calls they’ve had involving children. . . . Calls involving children are the ones that affect us the most. . . . I still have many calls in my head that I can’t get out that involve children. . . . I call this image Children of Heaven. It brings me peace thinking where these kids are now instead of thinking of what happened to them. "

First responder stress probably can't get much worse than a murdered baby. But then, it also seems there's an unimaginable range of horrors it is possible to confront, and the folks who'll confront them are first responders, God help them.

Fire

Fire Fight © by Daniel Sundahl. "Fighting the Dragon...my fellow firefighters know what this means." As a fantasy artist myself, I absolutely could not resist this one.

Firefighters stand between the rest of us and that dragon. Whether it's a raging structural fire,  vehicle-turned-inferno, or a wildfire roaring up a steep hillside, they stand between it and us. All too often they pay a steep price, as well.

Police

Police officers never know what's coming, but like all first responders their lives are spent on call. Their schedules exist at the mercy of the next emergency. A day can be fairly uneventful, and then turn suddenly deadly. 

Officer Down, © by Daniel Sundahl. "Would you enter a live shooting event to treat the injured and help take them to safety? What if it was someone you knew? The medic and fallen officer in this image are close friends in real life. They work on the same shift so this situation is a real possibility for them. I have no doubt she would risk her life to save him."

I hope you've been inspired by these images and the brave people they represent. Daniel Sundahl's artwork about first responder stress is real and authentic because he has lived the situations he portrays. They all fight the dragon for us, one way or another. They all stand between us and that unimaginable range of horrors.

IMAGE CREDITS: All images are © by Daniel Sundahl and DanSun Photo Art, and have been used with the artist's permission. Please do not reproduce or re-post them without express permission from Daniel!

Merry Christmas, and be careful out there

Not everyone gets to celebrate at home with their families today. With that in mind, today's post is a tribute to the first responders who have to work. Because heart attacks don't take a holiday. Neither do fires. Nor mental health emergencies. Nor crime. "Let's be careful out there" was an iconic line from the 1980s show Hill Street Blues, but it applies in all decades.

In the past I've written about ways to thank first responders, and I hope I've expressed my thanks and respect through other blog posts as well. But it's time to do it again. So to all first responders I'd just like to say, Merry Christmas, and be careful out there!

911 Dispatchers

The Dispatch Center at the Ada County Sheriff's Department in Ada County, Idaho is a busy place during the holidays, just like practically every other 911 Dispatch center.

It's a too-frequently-forgotten crucible of chaos that's often a center of frantic activity on holidays: the place where the calls come in. 9-1-1 dispatchers have a high-stress front row seat on the worst day in the life of practically everyone in town.

That goes double for busy winter holidays. Roads are often wet or icy. People are distracted, inebriated, or both. Stuff happens. And 9-1-1 dispatchers are expected to remain rock-steady through it all. No, they're not out in the weather, but never imagine they're not in the fight. And never imagine their job is easy.

I hope they'll accept my heartfelt thanks, for what they're worth!

Emergency Medical Service and Firefighters

EMS doesn't always get shoveled sidewalks or plowed streets when it snows, but it's nice when that happens. (Photo by Gold Cross Ambulance/Post Bulletin)

EMS is part of the local Fire Department in much of the United States, but not always or everywhere. However they're organized, when Dispatch calls they go. No matter what's on the ground. Shouldn't matter which neighborhood (although, sadly, sometimes it may). And it doesn't matter how gory or horrible the things they see when they arrive might be.

Winter is a difficult time to fight fires. Added to the usual dangers, cold weather can cause falls from slips on ice, frostbite, and related hazards. Add all of this to the strain of being away from one's family, and you can see that holiday duty comes with added stress.

Many thanks to all of you! Merry Christmas, and be careful out there!

Christmas cheer is where you make it at the fire station, when you have to work that day or night. (Photo: WJHG Channel 7, Panama City Beach, FL)

Sometimes it's a modest wreath . . . sometimes it's a bit more elaborate. (Photo: Ephraim325 on Reddit)

Police Officers

Many of the people who come into contact with police officers during the holidays are not happy to see them. Drunk drivers, domestic disturbances in stressed-out households, thieves from porch pirates to armed robbers, and many other criminals take no holidays. In fact, Christmas is "the most dangerous time of the year."

This makes police officers' Thanksgivings thankless, their Christmases critical, and their New Years nasty. Whatever holidays they celebrate, they know they'll receive more curses than holiday greetings on those days.

I know one blog post can't make up for all the abuse, but this blogger thanks you! Merry Christmas, and be careful out there!

I found a couple of cartoons by this unidentified artist, featuring an "Officer Santa" character. (If you know who the artist is, I'd love to know and give credit!) (Sidney Ohio City Government on Facebook)

Clearly the same artist, same character, same rousing thank-you message. (Police Benevolent Foundation)

IMAGE CREDITS: Many thanks to the Ada County (ID) Sheriff's Glassdoor listing, for this uncredited photo of their dispatch center. I'm grateful to The Rochester (MN) Post Bulletin and Gold Cross Ambulance (now called Mayo Clinic Ambulance). I also thank WJHG Channel 7, of Panama City Beach (FL), for their photo and story about first responders working on the holidays. I'm very grateful to Ephraim 325 on Reddit, via Pinterest. I'm grateful to the Sidney, Ohio City Government's Facebook Page for the first "Officer Santa" picture, and to the Police Benevolent Foundation, via the "Sh*t My Callers Say" Tumbler, written by an emergency response dispatcher. 

New Year's Eve reminders

Not all of us get to party tonight. Please spare a thought for our first responders, who'll be on the job to keep us safe!

Holiday Cheer for Our First Responders, a painting by Teresa Ascone.

Be nice to them at checkpoints, and designate a driver, please!

Keeping us safe this Holiday Season, a poster by Teresa Ascone.

They're working hard tonight! Don't give them more to do!

IMAGE: Many thanks to Teresa Ascone via Fine Art America for her Holiday Cheer for Our First Responders painting, and to Teresa Ascone's "Holiday Art" Pinterest page for her Keeping Us Safe this Holiday Season poster. Thanks to Bonfire Designs for the EMS greeting.