Critical Incident Response Program (CIRP)

1. CIRP is Critical Incident Response Program. It is used immediately following an incident or accident and support may last for weeks if needed. The program is an emotional support piece that helps impacted pilots (and flight attendants within in their own program) manage the potential long-term stress effects of an incident or accident. While trauma (or grief) has no defined timeline, individuals that use these programs are known to have a faster and fuller recovery. Put simply, CIRP is physical therapy for the brain.

2. Peer support within the context of our Peer to Peer program is for those with personal or professional frustrations, trauma, life circumstance, spiritual, emotion based, pretty much anything that might be holding you back from living the life you want to live. Put Simply, peer support is advocacy. We help with conceptualizing a problem and framing solutions that empower you to get unstuck.

3. Contact with our volunteers is a little different for CIRP vs peer support. For CIRP, typically a volunteer reaches out to the affected pilots. For Peer to Peer support, the affected pilot is asked to reach out to us.

4. Confidentiality is preserved for both CIRP and peer support as we assist to enable you to support yourself.

1. Call any Peer to Peer volunteer or email CIRP@APA2118.org for assistance. If it's urgent for you, it's urgent for us. We list our bases so you can call someone who might be specifically in line with your time zone or time frame.

2. Anytime a pilot is feeling the effects of stress, please reach out. 80% of worldwide calls for peer support are handled within the peer support group. And we empower you with reframing of the situation and providing resources for resolution and unsticking.

3. Any stressor can creep into the workplace and create a distraction from the safe operation of the aircraft. We want the opportunity to help before the stress becomes debilitating.

4. Typical issues relating to family, spouses, significant others, divorce, childhood prolonged illness, death, trauma, automobile accidents, natural disasters, finances are all valid reasons to call.

1. Please call! Our "spidey senses" are there to protect us. As individuals, we often know when something is "off." Our trained individuals can work with you and help work through possible contributors if you are willing to share. We can't read minds, but we can ask relevant questions that will help you identify symptoms and potential root causes.

2. Our volunteers work by asking questions and listening. We are pilots like you and we experience things differently than the general population. This empowers us to approach problems in the same logic driven way but with the specialized training of a counselor.

1. On our CIRP Peer to Peer committee page has a list of our volunteers, their phone number and domicile. We provide a brief introduction with our new volunteers shortly after they join in the quarterly newsletter.

2. We are peers first and foremost. Our volunteers drop their First Officer/Captain rank and just speak to the situation. We share a common pilot language. We do the family - work balance just like you. You don't have to worry about explaining simple things like circadian disruption, calling off for a sick kid's doctor appointment, Vref, or green dot speed. We get it.

3. Our CIRP volunteers are trained in crisis intervention management skills by industry instructors that train airline volunteers worldwide. The training is an extension of skills taught to first responders including Emergency Management, Firefighters, Police, and EMTs.

4. Our Peer Support volunteers are trained in peer support by Mental Health Professionals (MHP) with a program derived from International Peer Assistance in Aviation Coalition. These MHPs provide ongoing consultations and guidance to our volunteers for continuing education and needed referrals with transparency for keeping our pilots flying with an appropriate level of care depending on the situation. A recent Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) report highlighted the need for peers to help peers and MHPs to be trained in unique aviation situations whenever their services are warranted. By utilizing our program, we can guide to preferred outcomes and avoid headaches.

5. Both our CIRP and peer support volunteers are trained parts of the "GoTeam." We are trained to help with accident investigations and help those individuals "party to the accident investigation." This impactful training piece helps us more closely identify with a wider trauma audience.

1. We are thrilled to welcome committed volunteers to our program. As we grow our community, we look for those with strong communication skills and desire to help others navigate some of life's tough challenges. Past experience is more important than current knowledge of the many avenues available to assist pilots.

2. To get started in the process, please email Liana Hart or Gerry Merk. A simple introduction will suffice. A resume and interview(s) will be required before we can bring you onto the team.