Kip’s Comments - August 23, 2025

Emotions and the Healing Power of Nature

There are times in the Public Safety world when you walk away from an incident with emotions challenging your mental well-being… you don’t know whether to cry, run, or puke… sometimes it is tough while at the same time you are excited by the hope of what the future might hold. Feelings bounce back and forth in your head at rapid-fire rate from one extreme to the other until the adrenaline wears off.

Today we had an incident that, based on the initial page, we thought might be completed with one ambulance and a fire/law response. That all changed when responder family arrived on scene and recognized more help was needed.

Apparently EMS folks from across the county heard the request “we need more ambulances” and assistance was inbound from all directions. What began as an overwhelming situation quickly transformed into a massive team effort consisting of multiple law enforcement agencies, outstanding fire department support, and EMS from almost every agency in the county and beyond. Our dispatcher was top-notch as she worked with us on this scene as other calls were also underway for her.

I describe an afternoon that sounds like all went well. That was not the case. This was a tragic situation resulting in much pain and grief for those involved. We - the responder family - did what we could to make a bad situation better. We hope and pray for those involved. I give thanks for my responder brothers and sisters who worked side-by-side to make the best of the worst day for some. We tried. We tried hard.

Though tragedy challenged us, our combined efforts maximized resources as much as possible. Our communications system allowed for information sharing unlike anything we have ever had. Together we did the best we could. What more can we ask for?

Today’s image has nothing to do with the emergency response. Yet, the picture helped me afterward. As I backed into my parking spot at home, readying my gear for the next call, I noticed my giant sunflowers against a beautiful blue sky hosting fluffy white clouds. For just a minute or two, as I moved around searching for just the right view, the sunflowers in my viewfinder cleared my head of any thoughts from earlier in the day. The flowers allowed me to pause, to change my focus, and to find something simple - yet pretty - to enjoy. Oh the healing power of nature! What a blessing today.

Sunflower Against Blue Sky - Image 1017041