AIMS: Psychological debriefing is a crisis intervention for use with people who are exposed to stressful events within their work. Research on crisis interventions is controversial, and further studies in this field are important to establish appropriate interventions for emergency workers. Debriefing has become an area for debate due to evidence of its benefits showing beneficial and negative outcomes, or no outcome at all. This study aims to qualitatively investigate the experience of the role of Critical Incident Debriefer in a Fire and Rescue Service in the North West of England. METHODS OF RESEARCH: A phenomenological approach was used to collect data via Collaborative Inquiry (CI) group meetings with the debriefers. The recorded CI meetings were transcribed into text and the transcripts were analysed using applied thematic analysis. A reflective diary was utilised to keep experiences, thoughts, feelings and opinions visible and an acknowledged part of the research. RESULTS: Review and analysis of the participants’ experiences identified six themes; policy concerns; organisational concerns; CID training; psycho-education; culture and the future of CID. CONCLUSION: These findings identified positive and negative elements of the CID process from the perspective of debriefers. Attitudes towards CID appear to be improving, however, debriefers feel they do not receive appropriate training, which corresponds with the findings of the Cochrane Review (2002) and suicide within the fire service is a serious concern.McNab, Stuar
