Experiences and actions of part-time firefighters’ family members: a critical incident study

Objectives The purpose of this study was to describe the experiences and actions of part-time firefighters’ family members in rural areas in Sweden.Design The study had an inductive descriptive design and used the critical incident technique.Setting Rural areas, primarily served by a part-time fire...

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Main Authors: Bengt Fridlund, Carina Elmqvist, Anders Svensson, Emelie Lantz, Bengt Nilsson
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2024-09-01
Series:BMJ Open
Online Access:https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/14/9/e086170.full
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author Bengt Fridlund
Carina Elmqvist
Anders Svensson
Emelie Lantz
Bengt Nilsson
author_facet Bengt Fridlund
Carina Elmqvist
Anders Svensson
Emelie Lantz
Bengt Nilsson
author_sort Bengt Fridlund
collection DOAJ
description Objectives The purpose of this study was to describe the experiences and actions of part-time firefighters’ family members in rural areas in Sweden.Design The study had an inductive descriptive design and used the critical incident technique.Setting Rural areas, primarily served by a part-time fire station, across Sweden.Participants The study included 25 participants (21 females and 4 males) with experiences of being a family member of a part-time firefighter. Family members who themselves served as firefighters were excluded.Results Being a part-time firefighter’s family member was described into three main areas of experiences: ‘affecting everyday life’, ‘dealing with uncertainty’ and ‘being in this together’. Actions taken were divided into two main areas: ‘pursuing adaptations’ and ‘alleviating difficulties’.Conclusions Family members of part-time firefighters faced increased responsibility at home, managing personal inconvenience and frustration. They offered emotional support for the firefighter, however, expressing a need for guidance on handling firefighters’ emotions and mental health after call-outs. Despite their crucial role, they often felt unrecognised by the fire and rescue service. Nonetheless, they took pride in their firefighter’s contribution to the community and noted positive impacts on the family.
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language English
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publisher BMJ Publishing Group
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spelling doaj-art-355a44542c9a4b36bcf3cbaa54a8f4012024-12-16T22:40:09ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552024-09-0114910.1136/bmjopen-2024-086170Experiences and actions of part-time firefighters’ family members: a critical incident studyBengt Fridlund0Carina Elmqvist1Anders Svensson2Emelie Lantz3Bengt Nilsson4Centre of Interprofessional Collaboration within Emergency care (CICE), Linnaeus University, Växjö, SwedenCentre of Interprofessional Collaboration within Emergency care (CICE), Linnaeus University, Växjö, SwedenDepartment of Health and Caring Science, Linnaeus University, Växjö, SwedenDepartment of Health and Caring Science, Linnaeus University, Växjö, SwedenCentre of Interprofessional Collaboration within Emergency care (CICE), Linnaeus University, Växjö, SwedenObjectives The purpose of this study was to describe the experiences and actions of part-time firefighters’ family members in rural areas in Sweden.Design The study had an inductive descriptive design and used the critical incident technique.Setting Rural areas, primarily served by a part-time fire station, across Sweden.Participants The study included 25 participants (21 females and 4 males) with experiences of being a family member of a part-time firefighter. Family members who themselves served as firefighters were excluded.Results Being a part-time firefighter’s family member was described into three main areas of experiences: ‘affecting everyday life’, ‘dealing with uncertainty’ and ‘being in this together’. Actions taken were divided into two main areas: ‘pursuing adaptations’ and ‘alleviating difficulties’.Conclusions Family members of part-time firefighters faced increased responsibility at home, managing personal inconvenience and frustration. They offered emotional support for the firefighter, however, expressing a need for guidance on handling firefighters’ emotions and mental health after call-outs. Despite their crucial role, they often felt unrecognised by the fire and rescue service. Nonetheless, they took pride in their firefighter’s contribution to the community and noted positive impacts on the family.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/14/9/e086170.full
spellingShingle Bengt Fridlund
Carina Elmqvist
Anders Svensson
Emelie Lantz
Bengt Nilsson
Experiences and actions of part-time firefighters’ family members: a critical incident study
BMJ Open
title Experiences and actions of part-time firefighters’ family members: a critical incident study
title_full Experiences and actions of part-time firefighters’ family members: a critical incident study
title_fullStr Experiences and actions of part-time firefighters’ family members: a critical incident study
title_full_unstemmed Experiences and actions of part-time firefighters’ family members: a critical incident study
title_short Experiences and actions of part-time firefighters’ family members: a critical incident study
title_sort experiences and actions of part time firefighters family members a critical incident study
url https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/14/9/e086170.full
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