Emergency responders face high stress on the job
By Lethbridge Herald on September 13, 2023.
An ambulance crew arrives at a call next to the mobile supervised consumption site at the shelter and wellness centre. Drug related calls and overdoses rank third among the top reasons for EMS calls in Lethbridge.
Herald file photoSteffanie Costigan – LETHBRIDGE HERALD – Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Nobody knows when an emergency is going to happen, but when one does, we rely on emergency responders to assist.
It’s hard to imagine the sights first responders see on a daily basis here and elsewhere.
Lethbridge Fire & Emergency Services Deputy Chief of Safety, Health and Wellness Cody Gundlock said in an interview that drug related calls and overdoses have ranked within the top five reasons for EMS to attend scenes in Lethbridge.
Overdoses are ranked third with falls second and patient transfers first.
And EMS staff are committed to helping everyone who requires help.
“They’re gonna do their best to go out and assist people no matter what,” said Gundlock.
According to alberta.ca, more than 1.33 million 911 calls are made in Alberta each year. Statistics show in the province, approximately 277 calls were made within the course of one week in June, and there were a record-breaking 358 calls to EMS for opioid-related incidents in July.
Gundlock said first responders endure an enormous level of mental fatigue and stress while on the job.
“The mental fatigue and the demand is high. It’s a difficult job… as a paramedic, responding to look after those people from a medical standpoint, pre-hospital care, there’s a lot of stress involved with that. That’s what we need to try to do here within the fire halls is work together, have good camaraderie and be safe on scene and make sure everyone comes back and everyone goes home.”
Gundlock noted EMS crews must sometimes deal with fatalities when they attend scenes and there are mental health supports in place for them to deal with that.
“Unfortunately, when you respond to calls, there are there are fatalities. I would just say that members are prepared have a very good understanding of what they’re gonna see on the other end of these calls when they’re turned out. They’re also very aware of the supports that are in place for them along the way with their crew within the department. And within the City of Lethbridge.”
The International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) is a union formed in 1918 and provides support for firefighters and emergency medical services personnel in the USA and Canada.
Gundlock described the varying support options first responders have access to with some of the traumatic scenes they witness.
“We have the IAFF peer support team. A lot of it is just supporting each other. Our members who do an amazing job on the streets are just supporting each other here within the fire halls. We have wellness programs, we focus a lot on fitness in the fire halls; we have a psychologist on standby or for calling – if we require – that our members can go to. We also have a chaplaincy program for people to go to as well.”
Gundlock talked about Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) as being an intervention protocol which was developed specifically for those involved in critical care to help them deal with traumatic events.
There is also a program called The Working Mind First Responders, run by the Mental Health Commission of Canada. Formerly known as Road to Mental Readiness, it “ is an education-based program designed to address and promote mental health and reduce the stigma of mental illness in a first-responder setting,” says the MHCC website.
This is a training program aimed, among its goals, at supporting the mental health and wellbeing of first responders.
“It’s stressful. It’s psychologically demanding work; it’s shift work, which is not easy in itself. And then you add in the multiple calls that we do have of all different types in our community and southern Alberta, for that matter… it’s a dangerous job.
“We’ve lost a lot of firefighters due to occupational cancer and trauma. As much as we try to mitigate the risks, the best we can through training and proper PPE, and things like that, it’s a dangerous job.”
Gundlock mentioned a new family first responder program being developed at the University of Calgary which has not been implemented yet.
He also acknowledged the contributions of floor operator workers, including communications centre staff, make saying they endure a lot of stress in being the first form of communication when people experience emergencies.
“We have to really appreciate the work that our men and women do on the floor and operations, as well, including our PSCC, our dispatchers, because they’re really the first link who get these calls. We can’t forget about them. They’re the ones who are on the other end of those phone lines when people call in… they’re on the other end of that line trying to do their best to get calls to go get the units to go respond,” said Gundlock
“That’s a lot of pressure on them and stress on them, too. Because they don’t know oftentimes even what happened… it’s a lot of pressure, and they’re good. They do a great job up there as well.”
According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health, EMS workers can endure stresses of mental, physical and emotional kinds every time they work a stress.
“It is a job which commonly has high levels of stress, increasing incidents of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and on the job injuries. These issues contribute to high rates of suicide, job-related burnout, clinical depression, and physical conditions which no longer allows the EMS provider to work in the field,” says the NIH website.
The website says that EMS workers suffer more injuries related to work than the average person.
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We really need to show our appreciation to the police and first responders and giver them our support whenever possible. This drug crisis has dramatically impacted their lives and we need to show them we appreciate their tough jobs.