Note
Research was developed in partnership with members of the Canadian Institute for Public Safety Research and Treatment (CIPSRT) and supported by the Canadian Association of Police Governance (CAPG), the Paramedic Association of Canada (PAC) and the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP).
Issued also in French under the title: Les programmes de soutien par les pairs et les programmes d’intervention psychologique
en situation de crise destinés aux premiers répondants canadiens : Blue Paper.
Summary
"First Responder vocations inherently involve exposure to operational stressors, such as shift work, extensive
public scrutiny, workplace harassment or bullying, and to potentially traumatic events, such as threats to own life and
witnessing violence, scenes of accidents, homicide, and suicide (Berger et al., 2012; Hegg-Deloye et al., 2013;
Pasiack & Kelley, 2013). Repeated exposure to operational and organizational stressors can have harmful effects on
First Responders’ well-being. Robust statistical trends specific to Canadian First Responders are severely lacking, but
the available data and literature suggest a significant proportion of police officers, paramedic personnel, and fire and
rescue personnel will experience psychological difficulties such as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD), and suicidal thoughts at some point in their life (Berger et al., 2012; Stanley, Hom, & Joiner, 2016). Not all
psychological difficulties can be attributed specifically to public safety work; however, effective and empirically
validated organizational policies can help cultivate psychological well-being."--Page 9.