The Nest — #awareness

Coworkers, men and women, bullied and tormented a young paramedic during a difficult period of her life instead of training, mentoring and supporting her In the days after the body of firefighter-paramedic Nicole Mittendorff was found and allegations of bullying and harassment were made public, we received messages from women who have experienced bullying, harassment and sexual assault in their EMS agencies and fire departments. This article is from Sarah Mielke, creator of the Emotional Trauma Life Support program. The first time I really faced bullying was as a probie on a skilled, well-regarded part-time fire department. I had come from...

Tuesday morning, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Officer Tim Purdy was adamant about reminding people the viral photo he posted Friday was evidence of a situation that’s not uncommon for police officers. “I don’t think anything I did was out of the ordinary. It just happened it got caught on camera and went to Facebook,” Purdy said.  "There’s more to policing than making arrests and enforcing the law. Sometimes taking those extra little steps makes the biggest difference in someone’s life," the post read.  The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officer has gone viral after he reportedly helped a high school student who has autism. Tuesday morning,...

By Lorraine Hutchinson The year 2012 was the best of times and it was the worst of times for me. In May 2012, after graduating from National University, it seemed that my busy life           would slow down and I could catch my breath. In addition to going to school I was             managing the Logistics Division of the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. As the           Deputy Chief of that Division, it was my responsibility to manage the process of               purchasing,...