Experiences of Stresses and Coping Strategies among Firefighters in Cagayan de Oro City

The study pursued the following objectives: a) to present the profile of the firefighters in terms of age, educational attainment, and length of work experience; b) to describe the experiences of stresses of the firefighters; and c) analyze their coping strategies. The descriptive research design was used in this study. The analysis applied a combination of qualitative and quantitative research technique. The research settings were the Fire Stations in Maharlika and Cogon in Cagayan de Oro City. The respondents were composed of twenty (20) firefighters who were chosen through the purposive sampling technique with the criteria of at least one year of service at the two Fire Stations and they are assigned in the field. The data were collected through an interview guide with questions which answered the objectives presented as shown in the research flow. A letter asking permission to conduct the study was sent to the Fire Department Superintendent with an endorsement by the Dean of the College of Law Enforcement and Public Safety and attested by the Research Adviser. Once collected, a matrix presentation of data was prepared and the subsequent analysis was done through frequencies, percentages, and ranking of frequencies. Most of the firefighters are fifty years old and above which indicate that they are in the prime of their lives. Almost all are college graduates which proves that there is already a high degree of professionalization of the type of occupation. Most are in the service for twenty to twenty-nine years. Despite the longer years of service, the fire fighters still experience work related stresses in the line of duty. The most dominant of which are occupational hazards due to fire encounter, incomplete equipment in the area of responsibility, and media interruption. Despite the work stresses, the firefighters adapt significant coping strategies which minimize their stress spiritually, physically, socially, and emotionally.

 

Keywords: Experience, Stresses, Coping Strategies, Firefighters