There are two types of stress that an individual may experience. These will adversely affect an incident commander’s behaviour and distract them from commanding the incident. This in turn may jeopardise the safety of operations.
A response to persistent, poorly managed pressures usually over a prolonged period of time. Such stress may lead to serious health conditions such as anxiety, insomnia, and high blood pressure.
A reaction to sudden, unexpected events such as those that may be experienced when working in a dynamic, high-risk environment when commanding an incident. Such stress will involve significant physiological and psychological effects akin to the fight, flight or freeze responses observed in animals.
