TIP - Trauma Intervention Programs

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Founded in 1985 by Wayne Fortin, a licensed mental health professional who has worked in the field for over 20 years, the Trauma Intervention Program Inc. (TIP) is a national non-profit organization in which citizen volunteers respond to traumatic incidents at the request of Police, Fire and Hospital personnel to support those who are emotionally traumatized in the first few hours following a disaster.

"With the clients that are going through a traumatic event, it's possibly the worst day of their life and our volunteers are trained to help these people to get through those first few hours until they get a support person or group that can come in and help them through the rest of their journey," explains Zeeva Hammack, TIP Program Director, Fresno County. First responders tell TIP Program members that they feel a great sense of relief knowing there will be someone there to help people who have faced horrible tragedies.

TIPNational has established TIP Affiliates which extend to 100's of communities across the nation. Every TIP Volunteer must undergo an Emotional First Aid Class with over 50 hours of training included.  Volunteers, who are available 24/7, assist family members and friends with the following situations:

•    Natural or unexpected death.
•    Violent crime such as rape, assault, robbery or burglary.
•    Devastating fire.
•    Disoriented or lonely elderly persons.
•    People involved in motor vehicle accidents.
•    Distraught persons seeking immediate support.
•    Survivors of suicide.

"You kind of know what is happening, but you just don't know what you're going to find when you get there," says Hammack. "That's part of our training, to where you can go in at whatever level or where ever your client is, you can take over and help them through the next step."

The Trauma Intervention Program provides support through the following activities:

•    The Managers Hotline provides technical support and consultation to TIP managers.
•    Quality Training Programs are developed by TIPNational and are offered to Affiliates' staff and volunteers.
•    The TIP Annual Convention is an opportunity for managers in all Affiliates to learn from each other and to share best practices.
•    The National Website provides Affiliates with up to date news and resources.
•    Quality Control activities protect TIP's reputation by ensuring that all TIP's Affiliates adhere to TIP's high standards.
•    Public Relations activities keep TIP in the public eye and enhance TIP's national reputation.

TIP also knows that it is especially important to focus on supporting children, as they probably do not fully understand what is going on after a traumatic disaster has occurred. According to Zeeva Hammack, volunteers provide stuffed animals, coloring books and crayons to children to comfort them after they have experienced a tragedy. If members end up going to the hospital with affected families, they provide fun things for children to do in order to keep them occupied while parents are busy taking care of necessary tasks.

TIP has received three prestigious awards which are:
•    Crime Victim Service Award from the US Justice Department
•    Governor's Victim Service Award from the State of California
•    Innovations Award in State and Local government from Harvard University and Ford Foundation

To learn more about the Trauma Intervention Program (TIP) and/or volunteer your department to become an Affiliate, please visit www.tipnational.org/.



Author:William Leatherman - Video, Renee Marquart - Text