When the Call Turns Critical: Mental Readiness for First Responders
Send us Fan Mail Retired Las Vegas Police Captain Josh Bitsko spent 24 years in law enforcement and was one of the responding officers who breached the suspected shooter’s door during the 2017 Mandalay Bay mass shooting. In this episode of After the Tones Drop, Josh sits down with Cinnamon to talk about what happens when a critical incident does not end when the scene is cleared. Josh shares what it was like to respond to one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history, the emotional fall...
Retired Las Vegas Police Captain Josh Bitsko spent 24 years in law enforcement and was one of the responding officers who breached the suspected shooter’s door during the 2017 Mandalay Bay mass shooting. In this episode of After the Tones Drop, Josh sits down with Cinnamon to talk about what happens when a critical incident does not end when the scene is cleared.
Josh shares what it was like to respond to one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history, the emotional fallout that followed, and the hard truth that he did not cope with it at first. He avoided. He isolated. He went back to work. He kept functioning. And on the outside, that can look like strength.
Until it starts eating at you.
This conversation gets into what first responders are often not taught: how to regulate their nervous system in the middle of chaos so they can think clearly, make better decisions, and avoid practical paralysis when lives are on the line. Josh also talks about the mistakes he made, why he teaches from them now, and why crisis rehearsal, emotional regulation, and therapy should not be treated like emergency tools you grab after the wheels fall off.
They should be part of the job from day one.
This is a conversation about tactical mindset, trauma, therapy, retirement, purpose, and why first responders need support before, during, and long after the call.
DISCLAIMER:
After the Tones Drop has been presented and sponsored by Whole House Counseling. After the Tones Drop is for informational purposes only and does not constitute for medical or psychological advice. It is not a substitute for professional health care advice diagnosis or treatment. Please contact a local mental health professional in your area if you are in need of assistance. You can also visit our shows resources page for an abundance of helpful information.
ATTD Music Credits (Music from #Uppbeat):
- https://uppbeat.io/t/vens-adams/adventure-is-calling License code: ANJCYVHRMULSNKQR
- https://uppbeat.io/t/vens-adams/rise-of-the-hero License code: H4WTAGJZIXZCM8DM
- https://uppbeat.io/t/yeti-music/homewardLicense code: KO7FZAIJBAEAJLKE
- https://uppbeat.io/t/sonda/the-heart-grows License code: KAID0ITO96GJZAPS
- https://uppbeat.io/t/philip-anderson/achievement License code: XZ4PMCKHW94GUR74
- https://uppbeat.io/t/tobias-voigt/nexus
License code: MVMDRGHKHTJRABVR - https://uppbeat.io/t/paul-yudin/breakthrough
License code: FYPM3OJF0NQ4OGTE