After the Fire: Trauma Recovery for Emergency Services & Bushfire-Affected Communities

Tenneile Manenti
Jan 29
4 min read

Fire trauma recovery and psychological support for emergency services and bushfire-affected communities.

When the fires stop burning, life doesn’t simply go back to normal.

For emergency service workers and people in bushfire-affected communities, that’s often when the weight really lands. The adrenaline drops. The structure changes. The noise fades.

And suddenly there’s space for the body and brain to register what just happened.

I’ve worked with firefighters, volunteers, leaders, and families long after the immediate danger passed. What they describe isn’t always dramatic. It’s quieter than that. Harder to name.

“I’m back at work, but I feel on edge.”“I’m exhausted, even though I’m sleeping.”“I know I’m safe… but my body doesn’t seem convinced.”

That’s not a personal weakness.

It’s the nervous system doing exactly what it evolved to do under threat — and struggling to stand down afterwards.

What Fire Trauma Does to the Nervous System

Bushfires and emergency response place the human nervous system under sustained pressure. Not just acute danger, but prolonged uncertainty, responsibility, moral load, physical exhaustion, and sensory overwhelm.

Heat. Smoke. Sirens. Long shifts. Decisions that matter.

From a neuroscience perspective, this keeps the brain’s threat system switched on. The amygdala stays alert. Stress hormones stay elevated. The body prioritises survival over sleep, digestion, memory, and emotional processing.

That state is useful during the fire. It becomes costly when it doesn’t switch off.

Fire trauma recovery isn’t about “getting over it.” It’s about helping the nervous system relearn safety — gradually, repeatedly, and in the right conditions.

Why Fire-Related Trauma Lingers Long After the Flames Are Out

Here’s something I say often, especially to high-performing people:

You don’t need to feel broken to be impacted.

Unprocessed fire-related trauma often shows up sideways. People tell me they’re coping — and they are — but they’re also noticing:

constant alertness or irritability
poor or fragmented sleep
emotional numbness or withdrawal
trouble concentrating or making decisions
feeling flat, disconnected, or “not myself”
guilt about what happened or what didn’t happen
a delayed crash months later, once things slow down

This matters because long-term nervous system activation affects far more than mood. It impacts physical health, cognitive flexibility, relationships, leadership capacity, and the ability to sustain work safely.

For emergency services and bushfire-affected communities, this isn’t just personal. It’s about workforce wellbeing, safety, retention, and recovery that actually lasts.

What Helps with Fire Trauma Recovery — And What Usually Doesn’t

Trauma recovery works best when it’s layered, flexible, and timed well. Not rushed. Not forced.

Regulation Comes First

Before insight or reflection, the body needs to feel safer.

That’s why evidence-informed trauma care draws on nervous system regulation, somatic approaches, and principles from polyvagal theory. When the body settles, the brain can follow. Not the other way around.

This is why people often feel better before they can explain why.

Trauma-Focused Therapy (At the Right Time)

Approaches like EMDR, trauma-informed CBT, and narrative therapies are well supported by research. They help the brain reprocess traumatic memory networks so reminders no longer trigger the same physiological response.

But timing matters. Pushing people to “process” before their system is ready can backfire. Skilled trauma work is about pacing, consent, and safety — not digging everything up at once.

Peer and Community Support

Trauma isolates. Recovery reconnects.

There’s something powerful about being with people who don’t need an explanation. For emergency service workers in particular, peer-based and culturally informed support reduces shame, normalises reactions, and restores a sense of social safety.

Practical Stability Is Psychological Care

Housing, finances, workplace flexibility, clear systems — these aren’t “extras.” They’re foundational.

A nervous system cannot calm down in chaos.

This is why effective recovery planning needs to include organisational and systemic supports, not just individual therapy.

Recovery Is Not a Sign You Weren’t Strong Enough

One of the most damaging myths I see in high-pressure roles is this idea that if you held it together during the fire, you should be fine afterwards.

In reality, delayed reactions often mean the system worked exactly as it needed to under threat — and now needs support to recalibrate.

Recovery isn’t indulgent.

It’s preventative.

And it protects people, teams, and communities over the long term.

If This Sounds Familiar

You don’t need to wait until things fall apart.

You don’t need to justify why support might help.

And you don’t need to carry this quietly.

The right kind of support — support that understands trauma, pressure, and performance — can make a real difference.

How I Can Support

I work with:

emergency service personnel and leaders
individuals and families impacted by bushfires
organisations navigating recovery, return-to-work, and psychosocial risk

Support options include:

individual telehealth psychology (trauma-informed, evidence-based)
workplace and emergency services consulting
training for leaders and teams on trauma-informed recovery, moral injury, and sustainable performance

If you’re ready to explore support — or even just start with a conversation — that’s enough.

If this resonated, you can:

book a confidential telehealth session
enquire about workplace or emergency-service recovery support
or reach out to talk through what recovery could look like for you or your organisation

Note - CFA members are able to seek external psychological support with reimbursement by the agency. Please reach out to discuss how this could work for you, or your loved one.

This article forms part of the Behind the Psychologists Door series— Evidence-based insights from inside the therapy room, the boardroom, and the aftermath of high-pressure work.