As Mental Health Week draws to a close, professionals say help for first responders affected by tragedies like the Fort McMurray wildfires is desperately needed.
“Because of the line of work that it was it was always expected that they should just be able to deal with whatever came their way,” explained Robin Ward, program coordinator for the Canadian Mental Health Association in New Brunswick.
“And now it’s recognized that just because they’re men, or they’ve been trained in a certain way, or women trained in a certain way — behind it all they’re still a person.”
Ward says the various situations first responders respond to, and interactions with the people they help, all take a toll on their mental health.
Connie MacEachern works as a nurse in Fort McMurray. She says she’s concerned about the impact the events unfolding in northern Alberta will have on the emergency crews she often works alongside.
“I worry about all of them emotionally you know,” MacEachern said.
“They’re extremely vulnerable right now and as a nurse I deal with those emotions, help people through it and I can only imagine what they’re going through.”
The wildfire currently burning in and around Fort McMurray has proven to be an overwhelming for firefighters, as the out-of-control fire has been growing in size and danger for days.
The entire city of Fort McMurray, as well as surrounding areas, have been evacuated.
On Friday, a police-escorted convoy began leading evacuees who fled north to oilsands camps down through the city, as well as airlifting them out, with the goal of relocating them south to Edmonton or Calgary.