Thank you to the firefighters, EMTs, police officers, and all the first responders who never stop searching for what it takes to live a life of service. As Americans, we celebrate these brave men and women every day; but today is First Responders Day: a day set aside to send extra love, appreciation and prayers their way.
Most get enough sleep at home, but as time goes on, fewer and fewer first responders are getting the restorative sleep that is needed to sustain them. The problem is that emergency services personnel are becoming more sleep-deprived because of getting less sleep while on duty for a variety of reasons, such as ever-increasing call volume, decreased staffing, and automatic- and mutual-aid call volume. These current conditions mean that EMS personnel and firefighters are frequently running on empty in terms of quality and quantity of sleep.
