Critical Incident Defined

A critical incident is any situation faced by personnel causing unusually strong emotional reactions which have the potential to interfere with their ability to function during or after the event.

Examples of critical incidents addressed by the Nebraska Critical Incident Stress Management Program include:

• Suicide of a first responder,
• Line of duty death or serious injury of a first responder,
• Injury to or death of a child being served by a first responder,
• Mass-casualty incident (many people dead and/or seriously injured),
• Natural disaster causing death and/or serious injury.

Any time there is a prolonged event and/or intense media interest, the impact of the critical incident is increased.

Critical Incident Stress Management Program Page

Emergency Medical Services Page

Mental Health Page