First ever mental health conference held for B.C first responders

First responders experience traumas and stress on the job that are unlike those seen in most other occupations, so Parkinson says conversations like these are needed for a variety of reasons.

“We’re getting more understanding. But what we also are agreeing and its been discussed openly at this conference is we have a lot more to go,” He says, “We account for about 1 per cent of the workforce here in British Columbia, and right now we have about 10 per cent of the mental health claims that have gone in there.”

In fact, according to a 2010 study in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, the cost of a disability leave for a mental illness is on average about double the cost of a leave due to a physical illness.

Besides the invisible struggle mental health problems can bring, Parkinson says first responders can also suffer higher injuries because of it.

“We account for 3-4 times the injury rate when it comes to mental health injuries in the general population, and just the very nature of our work.”

Parkinson says the conference was one of the first times he knows of that first responders have come together for a common cause like this.

“We’re trying to develop resources. We’re trying to get more support. Breaking down the stigma, getting people to come up and talk even before they’re injured is important. But then when I put my hand up, where do I go?” He explains, “We need to make sure that we have proper programs and resource supports in there. So that includes employers having to assist. Whether that’s benefit packages, or governments assisting.”

Parkinson says they’ve established some peer support programs within their organization for specific situations.

“We have ten incidents that are identified automatically. Like if its a death of child, or the death of a family member, or working companion, or certain types of calls that we’ve identified as highly problematic or likely to cause an injury, we have a response team to go out there.”

However, Parkinson says, sometimes taking time off is not the key, and there has to be a balance between peer support interaction, and time away from the job.

“These types of injuries have been going on for years, probably since the inception of first responders or the military responses. But nobody understood them,” Parkinson says, “We need to start looking at them more like a physical injury. People get injured psychologically and then the question is how do we support them?”

Parkinson says employers and the workforce in general want to know what they can do better to help employees suffering from mental health problems.

The committee hopes to put on another conference next year as part of their plans to reach out to first responders in B.C.

“First responders are the last people to put up their hand. That’s the stigma of being weak, and that’s something that we’re trying to get over,” He explains, “But when they start putting up the hand, we really need to reach out. They help us in our time of need, and I think when it’s their time to need help, its important and vital for us to help back.”

by Dylana Milobar

First ever mental health conference held for B.C first responders

Our Community