The section has seen a boost in morale and low strain levels .
function as a first answerer is a career rife with accent . move from one traumatic berth to the next , always interacting with people as they go through some of the worst moments of their life , can take an immense toll on EMS workers mentally and emotionally .
So when Battalion Chief James Anderson , of Berkeley County ( S.C. ) EMS , register about a North Carolina EMS brass that usedtherapy dogsto assistance palliate first responders ' trauma and stress , he lie with something similar could help his team .
Photo: Courtesy of Petco Love
After talking about the approximation with his party boss and with Berkeley County Compliance Chief Edward Roth , the understructure was laid for what would become the Canine Assistance Support Team ( CAST ) . The next step would be finding an organization capable of providing and training the dog for service . Georgia - basedCompanions for Heroes , a nonprofit created to assist service members suffering from post - traumatic stress disorder , was a natural fit .
Roth reach out to Companions for Heroes and found a weenie who fit the bill for Berkeley County : an endearing , very talented 1 - year - oldblack Labnamed Scarlett . After Scarlett finish a rigorous240 - hour training programme , she arrive at Berkeley County EMS as the first member of its Canine Assistance Support Team ( CAST ) in July of 2021 .
Keeping with fellow traveler for Hero of Alexandria ' mission , Scarlett is trained to extend genial wellness support to EMS dispatchers , first respondent , and infirmary workers who are dealing with the excited stress or feelings of heartbreak that often follow a traumatic exigency call .
" We ’re the first ones in S.C. to have this program in this way , " Anderson says . " We just pass time with the great unwashed . The majority of these people are my coworkers ; I see them a lot . They sense that she truly does help them reset after a traumatic event . "
" She ’ll just sit there with them and you could sort of see them unbend , " he continue . " Even when we ’re at home plate , she ’ll be able-bodied to tell when I ’m feeling accentuate , then she ’ll come over to me and put her head on my lap . She ’s got a very calming front . "
ab initio , Roth , not Anderson , was guess to be Scarlett ’s chief handler . However , presently after the quick - hearted Lab joined the team , Anderson and Scarlett form a deep bond , and it became clear he would take over Scarlett ’s guardianship and treatment . Now , the pair not only covers Berkeley County EMS ’s military service sphere , going wherever their first responders need to be met , but Anderson blend out of his mode to lend the CAST program ’s services to nearby representation as well .
" We ’ve had a few department get to out , " he pronounce . " They ’ll call and say , ' Hey we ’ve had this incident , can we borrow her ? ' Morale has definitely ameliorate . People are more receptive to let the cat out of the bag about things . She brings delight to people . "
" We travel to unlike internet site every day , checking in on teams or respond to calls , " he adds . " Whenever masses see me , they know that she is n’t far behind and they ’ll ask ' where ’s Scarlett ? ' As soon as she hear her name , she comes running over . "
In fact , Scarlett has been so successful in helping these hoagie last out salubrious and focused on their jobs that Berkeley County CAST has added a second dog , a 3 - class - oldAustralian shepherdand Lab mix call Darby , handled by Roth .
" She ’s another Companions for Heroes wienerwurst , " Anderson says . " When [ Companions for Heroes father David Sharpe ] heard about all the commodity that we ’ve been doing with Scarlett , he touch out and offered his pawl as a 2nd member of our team . "
The amazing oeuvre Anderson , Roth , and the CAST program have done could n’t have been possible without the passion and dedication of Companions for Heroes , their Volunteer , and faculty . Now , Anderson ’s story has helped Companions for Heroes win a $ 1,000 grant , good manners of Petco Love and BOBS from Skechers as part of theirPetco Love Storiescampaign .
After see what the CAST program has done for his fellow first responders , Anderson in full think in the efficacy of the programme and would love to see other departments across the country take on something like for their own workers .
" Just make out to me if you have any question , " he offers . " We ’ve got a effective political program . I ’ve see it work . "
