“Little stuff” can make a huge difference

February 02, 2009 10:14 AM •

In one of the many incidents detailed in Chuck Remsberg’s book, Blood Lessons, an officer involved in a major traumatic incident shared what he felt was the most supportive thing a fellow officer did for him after his incident and the least supportive.

The least supportive: “One of the supervisors who responded to the scene immediately walked up to me and asked, ‘Did you have your hat on?’ Those were the first words out of his mouth to me. Not, ‘Are you OK?’ Just a question about my hat. That really bothered me.”

The most supportive: “One of the backup troopers quietly put his hand on my shoulder in a half hug. That small move comforted me tremendously. It reassured me I was going to be all right and that I had the support of my fellow officers.”

Remember, after a major incident, “little stuff” can make a huge difference!

For more tips on how to help a traumatized officer, read the special series, 20 tips for helping a traumatized officer.

Fitness & Health

Scott Buhrmaster

Scott Buhrmaster is the CEO of Calibre Press, one of the leading law enforcement training and information providers in the industry. Scott’s 30-year tenure began in 1989 when he originally signed on with Calibre where he was involved in the creation and marketing of the organization’s popular training courses and award-winning textbooks, videos and online publications.

In 1999, Scott launched The Buhrmaster Group, an organization focused on helping law enforcement training companies develop, market and expand their training efforts. Among his clients was Police1.com, which he signed on with full time as their vice president of training and editorial. During that period, Scott was named to the National Advisory Board of the Force Science Institute, at the time a newly developing organization which was also among his list of clients. Following a seven-year tenure at Police1, Scott signed on with Force Science full-time, initially serving as their vice president of operations and most recently serving as their COO.

Scott has been a long-time contributor to Police1 and has written extensively for other publications and Web sites in the law enforcement market. Additionally, he helped launch two of the most popular e-newsletters in the industry; the Street Survival Newsline and Force Science News. While at Police1, Scott served as the publisher of Police Marksman magazine and a contributing editor for Law Officer magazine.