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POWER recently made some big strides, as its advisory board from the Boston area met with a Chicago focus group to discuss this new initiative. Lt. William Ostiguy of the Boston Fire Department (Chair of the board), Lt. Daniel Ryan of the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department, and Sgt. Herbert White of the Boston Police Department took part in a forum that brought the two cities together for a common goal. These three men all became involved with POWER themselves when they discovered it would be an effective way to help the men and women of their departments. Each board member was brought in because of their expertise in helping their public safety officers deal with things like drug abuse and alcoholism.
When it comes to public safety officers, substance abuse often has deep connections with things like post traumatic stress disorder, and trauma that has been witnessed. The need is out there for public servants to receive more personalized help for these issues, and POWER is proving to be a successful way to give that help. “Sending someone to treatment is nice and good, but it needs to be more than that; POWER is a way to further guide and support them. Getting sober is a struggle, and any advantage we can give our people will help them out” said Lt. Dan Ryan. It is important for public safety officers to know that they are not alone, that there are other officers going through just what they are going through, and that they can open up and get help for their addiction. Post treatment is also a big component to POWER, and it provides the officers with resources after treatment that help them stay sober. “We all like to talk to people that think and speak the same language” said Sgt. Herbert White, and that’s what POWER provides.
On May 27, 2009 this advisory board and other advocates of POWER met with a focus group made up of representatives from the Cook County Sheriff’s Department, Chicago Police Department, and Chicago Fire Department, as well as a representative from the Illinois State Department of Corrections. The Boston public officials were able to speak personally with their peers from Chicago and provide evidence that this program really does work. The public officers on the POWER advisory board have seen the progress it has made already. The main benefit that POWER gives is that it provides public safety officers with peer groups and resources to deal openly with their addiction. It is easier for someone to let their guard down when they are talking with people that have seen and experienced the same kinds of things. Both the POWER advisory board and the representatives from the Chicago departments were able to relate to that point well. They know that it is not every job that insists the employer jump out of bed in the middle of the night to deal with an emergency, or rush into a dangerous situation when everyone else is rushing out. These peers from different cities were given the chance at this focus group to talk in their own words about just how effective POWER is for their circles of people. “This was public safety folks talking to public safety folks, and the Chicago group was going on our word that POWER works” said Lt. William Ostiguy.
It seems that the common reaction at the focus group was an overall excitement for POWER. When we hear about something new, it is important to hear from those we trust that it is effective, and that’s just what the Chicago focus group did. These Chicago officials were able to ask questions of the advisory board and gain a new understanding about POWER. It is not necessary to spend years inventing a program when there is an effective program out there already. POWER is a program that can be taken to every fire, police, and sheriff’s department and be used to help public safety officers there. This peer-driven program is designed to help a group of people that “aren’t special, we’re just different” said Sgt. Herbert White.
Because of the networking that was done with the Chicago focus group, there is a positive future ahead for POWER. It is important for this initiative to not be forgotten and fall by the wayside, because it really works. The opportunity that exists through POWER for the Boston and now Chicago public safety departments is available to other cities as well, and with follow up and communication, advocates for POWER are looking toward a more positive future for public safety officers. They are expecting that POWER will infiltrate other cities as well because public safety officials want what’s best for their people.
