The public company Gestión y Planeamiento Territorial y Medioambiental (Gesplan), under the Government of the Canary Islands, has organized various working sessions with the Official College of Psychology of Santa Cruz de Tenerife (COP). These initiatives aim to strengthen psychological intervention and psychosocial support for the company's personnel, particularly those involved in fire prevention and extinction.
The CEO of Gesplan, Miguel Ángel Pérez, specified that these activities have taken place on the islands of La Palma, La Gomera, and El Hierro. Initially, requests from the personnel of the Forest Fire Intervention and Reinforcement Teams (EIRIF) were addressed, but the plan is to extend these training and awareness workshops to all staff members who demonstrate a need.
These activities are part of a collaboration agreement signed last year between Gesplan and the COP. The agreement's primary objective is to protect the health and psychological well-being of employees, improve the work environment, and reaffirm institutional commitment to mental health in the workplace.
Intervention in emergencies, especially in forest fires, exposes personnel to situations of high emotional load. Factors such as prolonged waiting, operational uncertainty, decision-making under pressure, contact with affected populations, and exposure to deaths or serious injuries require specific psychological support.
The developed program aims to strengthen psychological competencies and promote professional self-care. Specific objectives include understanding the psychological impact of critical interventions, developing strategies to manage uncertainty, improving communication skills with affected populations, providing tools to cope with exposure to traumatic events, and preventing professional burnout, while also fostering peer support and team cohesion.
Gesplan has established itself in the archipelago as a key entity in areas such as territorial planning, environmental management, emergencies, and sustainability, utilizing cutting-edge digital technologies.
