At both Granville and Thredbo the rescuers themselves were often in danger and thus also experiencing trauma directed at themselves.

Repeated exposure to mutilated bodies seems to be an extremely difficult stressor and workers may often experience classic PTSD re-experiencing revolving about the theme of these scenes. One worker at Granville felt he was fine till his wife put tomato sauce on his pie a week later and caused him to collapse into a blubbering mass.

Being a blubbering mass is not a good look if your bloke and your a copper and you’re supposed to have seen it all. Shame about their reactions can stop co-workers from revealing their symptoms to each other, their loved ones, or to those professionals who may be able to help.

While victims of a disaster will usually receive outpourings of public sympathy and support, rescuers are seen as either heroes or as doing their jobs. The possibility of posttraumatic symptoms in this group was until recently almost completely overlooked. Now disaster plans include elaborate de-briefing for all staff involved in exercise, but the public including the workers family and friends may have no understanding of how they came to be so disabled by an event that clearly happened to someone else.