The devastation firefighters are seeing every day on the front lines of the Fort McMurray wildfires is top of mind as former first responder Vince Savoia takes his support tour on the road a second time.
Firefighters from the Maritimes have already packed up and answered the call to help battle raging fires, maybe not realizing that joining in the fight is likely to take a toll on them personally.
“They may have a feeling of helplessness and hopelessness because as the fire rages there isn’t a quick fix to what they are doing and again, first responders want to fix things immediately,” Savoia said.
Savoia, a former first responder is founder and CEO of the non-profit organization Tema Conter Memorial Trust — whose goal it is to end the silence and ease the suffering of first responders across Canada.
READ MORE: New Brunswick firefighters off to aid in Alberta wildfire battle
This month, Savoia hit the road for the second Heroes are Human cross-Canada tour. The first took place in 2014.
The aim of tour is to spread awareness about pre-incident training and operational stress injuries in order to minimize the impact of psychological stressors first responders face every day.
So far in 2016, 18 first responders and five military personnel have died by suicide in Canada.
Firefighters in Fort McMurray risk developing PTSD
While Savoia says the group is not working directly with Fort McMurray firefighters just yet, he says front line firefighters are very much at risk of developing PTSD.
“What they should be looking for are things like hyper-vigilance, always being on edge waiting for the next shoe to drop, waiting for the worst to happen,” Savoia said.
Savoia says out-of-town crews providing back-up support, like the Department of Natural Resources fire crews deployed from New Brunswick last week, face one particular pressure point they may not be looking out for.
“What they will need to be conscientious about is something called vicarious trauma — basically dealing with the firefighters already there and hearing their stories and really trying to put some context into what they are seeing and hearing,” he said.
READ MORE: PTSD in first responders a concern as Fort McMurray Wildfires continue: Experts
A representative with the New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources says firefighters do have access to support through a “critical incidents” program.
Savoia says first responders in need of support can also call the Heroes are Human peer and family support line at 1-888-288-8036.
The Heroes are Human tour is slowly making its way toward Alberta and is already providing support for emotionally drained first responders across the country.
They hope to help first responders affected by the fires in Fort McMurray if and when they may need it.
“Most first responders will want to stay in there as long as they can because they feel that that is their job, but they need that decompression time away from the front line,” Savoia said.