Firefighters in the South Cariboo region will have more mental health support available this summer.
The BC Government announced earlier this month that twelve new training modules to the BC Occupational Training Awareness online program will be added this summer. The online program was launched about a year ago. About $300,000 is being invested by the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions to support the expansion of the program.
The chair of the Cariboo Regional District, Margo Wagner, says that the program is sorely needed for their volunteer firefighters and is pleased the government is taking action to address the mental health of firefighters. The CRD manages 14 volunteer fire departments including the Lac La Hache Volunteer Fire Department, 108 Mile Volunteer Fire Department and Forest Grove Volunteer Fire Department.
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“Whether it is witnessing devastating structure loss or even worse loss of life, living in tent camps, fighting fires in high heat or just the daily physical requirement the job demands, the stress on their mental health has often gone unrecognized,” Wagner said.
Similar sentiments were echoed by Curtis Woodworth, a BC firefighter. He said the program “will make such a positive difference and will remind us that we are not alone.”
To illustrate what some firefighters are going through, a 2021 study published by the Canadian Institute for Public Safety Research and Treatment shows that firefighters in Canada were exposed to high rates of traumatic events and that firefighters reported that mental health symptoms led to “burnout, compassion fatigue and mental and physical injury.”
BC Wildfire Service staff and volunteer firefighters are all eligible for the program.