How was the callout?
Get it off your chest.
Firefighters, RFS and SES volunteers and staff, and rescue crews. Put down what you're carrying before you go home.
Which best describes you?
This changes a few questions and which support lines come first. You can change it any time.
Everything you enter stays on this phone. Nothing is sent to your service, your captain or anyone else. Unladen Ember is a prototype. It is not a medical or emergency service and is not connected to any fire or emergency service or government agency. · Give feedback
Take a moment.
Sit down, drink some water and take a few minutes. Tell your crew leader you need a moment. That's allowed.
Breathe with this
What you might be feeling
- Shaky, sick, or a racing heart
- Numb, or oddly calm
- Tearful, angry, or both
- Going over what you could have done differently
These are normal reactions. They usually settle over hours or days.
If what you saw won't leave you
Strong images and feelings after a bad job are normal. Talk to your crew, ask for peer support, and look after yourself today.
Ground yourself
Look around. Name them, out loud or in your head.
Call someone now
Add your crew leader, a peer supporter or a mate in so they're here when you need them.
Not sure who to tell?
If you don't feel safe telling your captain, crew leader or unit commander, there are other people you can go to. Or write down what happened, just for you, while it's fresh.
What helps after
Handover to yourself
A few minutes after you get back. Notice what you're carrying, then leave what you can at the station.
Please talk to someone now
You said you've had thoughts of harming yourself or not wanting to be here. Please call one of these now. If you're in immediate danger, call 000.
Light load
This phone isn't letting the page save. Your result shows here but won't be kept.
Your safety
You said you didn't feel fully safe. That matters. Debrief with your crew and raise it with your captain or unit commander.
Getting home safely
You said you've got very little energy left. If you're driving, a 15 to 20 minute nap before you leave can help, or get a lift. Text someone when you're home.
What might help
People you can call
This isn't a medical assessment. It's a way to notice how you're going over time.
How it's been going
Last 14 days
Handovers
This phone isn't letting the page save, so handovers won't be kept.
Privacy & your data
Add a PIN, download what you've entered, or delete everything from this phone.
Emergency work takes something out of you
What to watch for, and what helps. Tap a heading to open it.
After a traumatic job
- Shock, replaying it and trouble sleeping are normal.
- Use your peer support or critical incident support. That is what it is for.
- If it's still strong after a couple of weeks, see your GP or your member assistance program.
- The Black Dog Institute's National Emergency Worker Support Service offers free sessions with a clinical psychologist for current, retired and volunteer emergency workers.
When someone dies
- Finding or recovering a body, or losing someone you were trying to save, is one of the hardest parts of the work.
- Debrief with your crew.
- If it was a suicide, StandBy (1300 727 247) supports anyone affected, including people who respond.
Long campaigns and disasters
- Weeks of fire or flood leave you exhausted, and the crash often comes after.
- Rest properly before going back out.
- Check in with your crew in the weeks after, not just on the day.
When people lose their homes
- Watching people lose everything is heavy, especially in your own community.
- You can't save everything. You did what you could.
- Talk about it.
Volunteering on top of everything else
- Volunteers juggle jobs, family and callouts.
- It's OK to step back for a while.
- Your brigade or unit has member assistance and peer support too.
Injuries, heat and exposure
- Heat, smoke and physical strain take a toll. Report injuries and get checked.
- Hydrate and rest between jobs.
Your family
- Callouts disrupt family life.
- Fortem Australia (1300 33 95 94) supports fire and SES workers and their families.
Bullying, harassment or conflict
You don't have to put up with it, and you don't have to sort it out alone.
- Write down what happened, with dates, while it's fresh.
- If your manager is involved, talk to someone outside your reporting line.
- The Fair Work Commission can make orders to stop bullying at work.
- For sexual harassment, 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) is there 24/7.
Signs you're carrying too much
- Dreading the pager
- Images from jobs coming back
- Feeling numb, or on edge
- Drinking more to switch off
- Pulling back from people
These are normal responses to emergency work, not a weakness.
Getting home safely
After a long or late shift, tiredness can affect your driving as much as alcohol.
- If you're struggling to keep your eyes open, don't drive. A 15 to 20 minute nap before you leave helps.
- After a hard shift, text someone when you get home.
When to get more help
If your load has been heavy for two weeks or more, you dread going in, or it's affecting sleep or home life, talk to your GP or EAP. A GP can set up a Mental Health Treatment Plan for Medicare-subsidised sessions with a psychologist. The Black Dog Institute's National Emergency Worker Support Service offers free sessions with a clinical psychologist for current, retired and volunteer emergency workers.
People to call
Save the ones that apply to you. They stay on this phone and show up on the Help now screen.
Support lines
Support outside your brigade or unit
Sometimes the person you'd normally tell is part of the problem, or it just doesn't feel safe. Here are other ways to get support. You choose what to do, and when.
From your organisation
Your service can add its own member assistance and peer support numbers here.
Someone outside your reporting line
- Your member assistance program. Fire services, the RFS and the SES all have one.
- Peer support. Trained members who understand.
- Fortem Australia. Support for fire and SES workers and their families, 1300 33 95 94.
- National Emergency Worker Support Service. Free sessions with a clinical psychologist.
- Your GP. Outside work altogether, and can refer you on.
Text or chat instead of calling
For when talking out loud isn't possible, or feels like too much.
For particular situations
Critical incident support can be requested at any time, not just straight after a job.
Spiritual and religious support
Some people find strength in prayer, ritual or their faith or cultural community after a hard callout. Others find it in nature, music, exercise or quiet. Whatever gives you meaning counts.
If your workplace has a chaplain or wellbeing officer, they support people of any faith or none. Their role is to listen, not to persuade.
Words to start with
The first sentence is often the hardest. You could say:
"I'm not ready to make a complaint. I just need to talk this through."
"Can this stay between us? Is there anything you'd have to pass on?"
"A job from the weekend is still with me."
"I need a break from callouts."
What happens if I tell someone?
- Counsellors, peer supporters and helplines keep what you say private. The main exception is if someone is at serious risk of harm. If you're unsure, ask at the start.
- A union can give you confidential advice before you decide anything.
- Your private record in this app stays on your phone unless you choose to share it.
Not ready to tell anyone?
That's OK. You can write down what happened, just for yourself, and decide later.
Numbers and services are for New South Wales and Australia-wide. Check with your organisation for its own services.
Write down what happened
It stays on this phone. It isn't a report, and nothing is sent anywhere. If you later decide to raise something, notes written at the time are easier to rely on than memory.
My entries
Entries can't be edited, so each one shows when it was written. To add something, write a new entry.
No entries yet.
If you decide to share it, you can download it or send it to yourself.
Your phone, your data
PIN lock
Ask for a PIN when the app opens, and after it has been in the background for a minute.
PIN is on.
The PIN stops someone else opening the app on your phone. It doesn't encrypt what's stored, so keep your phone locked too. If you forget it, you can delete everything and start again.
Hide the screen
Tap the eye button at the top of any screen to cover the app straight away, for example at the station or on the way home. Tap to come back, or enter your PIN if you've set one.
Download my data
Download everything you've entered (handovers, private record and contacts) as a text file. You could keep a copy, or show it to your GP or counsellor.
Delete everything
Deletes your handovers, private record, role, contacts and PIN from this phone.
Delete everything from this phone? This can't be undone.
About Unladen Ember
Unladen™ Ember is a prototype made by Co-Synthesist Pty Ltd, Newcastle NSW. Unladen™ is a trade mark of Co-Synthesist Pty Ltd. It isn't a medical or emergency service, and it isn't connected to any fire or emergency service or government agency. The questions haven't been clinically validated yet.
What's stored: your role, handovers, private record, saved contacts and settings, only in this phone's browser. Nothing is sent to anyone. There are no accounts, analytics or trackers.
Feedback: the feedback form is the only part of Unladen Ember that sends anything, and only when you press Send. It doesn't include anything else from the app.
Keep in mind: if you clear your browser data or remove the app, what you've entered goes too. Download a copy first if you want to keep it.
Version 0.1 prototype · September 2026