First responders have a greater risk of experiencing mental health symptoms, PTSD, and an increased risk of suicide than the general population. It is vital for people with careers in the public safety sector to talk about mental health and wellness and to access support when they need it.
Below are some mental health and wellness resources for public safety workers and students. You are encouraged to explore the supports available to you.
If you need immediate crisis support please see Crisis Lines & Resources.
Online Resources
- After the Call
- Offers tools and resources to promote mental wellness in first responders.
- Canadian Institute for Public Safety Research and Treatment (CIPSRT)
- Provides a wealth of knowledge for public safety research and treatment.
- Offers online screening tools to help identify areas of imbalance regarding mental health.
- First Responders First: PTSD Toolkit
- Provides resources and services for first responders to understand PTSD and the steps of PTSD programs.
- First Responder Health
- Committed to developing specialised services for both first responders and healthcare providers.
- Provides Occupational Awareness Training and a Healthcare Practitioner Directory.
- BC First Responders' Mental Health
- A multi-agency committee that works to promote positive mental health and provide mental health and wellness education, training, and support to first responders, their loved ones, and their communities.
- Mental Health Continuum Model
- Helps identify what healthy coping looks like and the signs and symptoms of mental health concerns.
- Resources List
- An extensive list of resources to promote positive health and wellbeing for first responders.
- Risk Factors for Work Disability
- Explains the common risk factors that affect first responders.
- Self-Assessment Tools
- Links to self-assessment tools that can help identify areas of imbalance in one's wellness and mental health.
- Staying Emotionally Healthy
- Offers helpful emotional wellness strategies to first responders.
- Supporting Mental Health in First Responders: A Guide for Families
- A guide for loved ones on how to emotionally support first responders.
- Mental Health Continuum Model
- A multi-agency committee that works to promote positive mental health and provide mental health and wellness education, training, and support to first responders, their loved ones, and their communities.
- BC Mental Health and Substance Use Services
- Provide(s) health care services to people with complex needs, including severe and persistent mental health and substance misuse issues.
- Canadian Mental Health Association British Columbia: CMHA BC
- Includes information on mental health & substance misuse, and offers helpful coping strategies and resources.
- Connects you to local support.
- Firewell.ca
- Shares health research about firefighters by a team of researchers and firefighters.
- HealthLink BC
- Provides 24/7 health advice, including mental health advice, that is given by trained professionals.
- Speak to an RN (24 hours) or a pharmacist, exercise professional, or dietician (during select hours) about your health-related concerns.
- PTSD Association of Canada
- A non-profit organisation that offers coping strategies, self-assessments, resources, and support for those affected by PTSD and those caring for loved ones with PTSD.
- PTSD BC: You are not alone
- A local grassroots movement founded by paramedic Lisa Jennings that educates on PTSD and how it affects first responders and offers support online to first responders and frontline workers.
- Resilient Minds: Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA)
- A resource list with supports specific for first responders.
- Vancouver CISM
- Vancouver Fire Rescue Service provides information about coping with critical incidents and stress.
Online Tip Sheets
- Feeling Angry: CMHA
- Offers helpful immediate, short-term, and long-term strategies for managing anger.
- Mindfulness: CMHA
- Describes what mindfulness is, what it looks like, and explains the benefits of practicing mindfulness.
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: CMHA
- Explains what PTSD is and offers helpful tips on coping with PTSD and supporting a loved one who is affected by PTSD.
- Stress: CMHA
- Explains what stress is and offers helpful strategies on coping with stress.
- Understanding Substance Use: CMHA
- Explains what to do if you are concerned about your own or a loved one's substance misuse.
- Work-life Balance: CMHA
- Offers helpful strategies on how to create a healthy work-life balance at work, at home, and in your community.
Videos
- First Responder Health YouTube Channel
- Contains videos that discuss the stress response, self-talk, & balancing home-work life that were created with first responders in mind.
- BC First Responders' Mental Health
- Occupational Awareness Series
- Family Resilience Perspective Series
Suicide Prevention Resources
In the news: First Responders and mental health in Canada
Backgrounder: WorkSafeBC Mental Disorder Claims - 2019 to 2021
Includes data on first responders
Canada's First National Survey on Mental Disorder Symptoms among Public Safety Personnel in Canada
Researchers find significantly higher rate of mental disorders among first responders
First responders submit mental health claims through Worksafe BC
Is there enough mental health support for first responders in Canada?
Canadian police officer with PTSD is matched with a service dog for support