First-in-Alberta conference highlights mental health for first responders

Conference on mental health for first responders First-in-Alberta conference highlights mental health for first responders

A conference in November will be shining light on first responders' mental health. Wounded Warriors ambassador Ian Hall, who is also a veteran and firefighter, joined CTV Morning Live’s meteorologist Cory Edel.

This transcript has been edited for length and clarity.

Cory Edel: A first-in-Alberta conference this November will focus on the mental health of first responders. Why don't we start off with talking about first responders and things that first responders probably encounter.

Ian Hall: There can be a lot of violence that we're exposed to, traumatic experiences, resuscitation efforts of infants, car accidents, fires, devastation that we see kind of on a daily basis that – a lot of times – isn't instantaneous. It doesn't show up right away. Sometimes it's even five, 10, 15, 20, 25 years of daily exposures that start to build up. If you're not having great ways of releasing that stress, releasing that energy, it can build up over time and have harmful effects.

Cory: Is that where Wounded Warriors comes in? What type of services would they provide?

Ian: We started as a charity during the Afghanistan conflict, providing support (to) soldiers returning from Afghanistan, and we've gradually grown to supporting first responders. So we've got some great programs that we run. Two of the reasons why I got involved with the charity, one was the BOS program (Before Operational Stress). It's a program designed for first responders when they're getting into their professions to give them some tools, some training, just like you would give them tools and training for the rest of their career. The other program that I love that we have is the Warriors Kids Program, which is actually run here, out of Edmonton. It's designed for children of first responders to understand what their parent is going through. The other great thing is, we're giving mental health tools to eight to 16-year-olds. I've got a 13-year-old at home. It's a different time in their lives.

Cory: So providing tools for not just the first responders, but those closely affected. There's a conference that's going to be happening in November, and these conferences have been happening in Ontario with a lot of success.

Ian: That's right. We've run two in Ontario that were absolutely tremendous. This is the first one we're having in western Canada. I think it's a great thing. We've got some really tremendous people behind Wounded Warriors. Dr. Tim Black was one of the first people to get involved with Wounded Warriors. Just a great mind. He's coming out, bringing his knowledge to the Edmonton area. Helena and Jairus, who run our Warriors Kids program, they're going to be there talking about families. We've got members from Edmonton Police Service, Calgary Police Service, some firefighters from across the province will also talk about their personal experiences. It's really a great opportunity for first responders, anyone in management of first responders and union members of first responders, to come learn about first responder mental health, learn about the programs that are out and available for the members to take part in.

Cory: Although it's not until November, should people start to register and get tickets ahead of time?

Ian: 100 per cent. I think the tickets are on sale now on our websites. I think it's going for about $250, so a little early bird special. Then as we get close to the conference, the tickets, the availability might start to disappear and the price might go up a little bit. So now would be a great time to get your tickets.

Cory: Perfect. For more information about the conference, head to afrmh.ca.