USask working with Saskatoon firefighters to improve mental health resources

Saskatoon firefighters and their families participate in a study assessing mental health supports and trauma tools. Halle Mandryk explains.

Joel McNair has spent more than 22 years as a firefighter with the Saskatoon Fire Department. In that time, he’s become very familiar with the mental health struggles that come along with the job.

“In 2015, I was diagnosed with PTSD. I spent the better part of a year off. I spent about a year back, and then I went off again and end up in a treatment center for 57 days for alcohol use disorder and PTSD,” McNair said.

Now, alongside the University of Saskatchewan (USask) and the City of Saskatoon, McNair is helping to improve the available resources for first responders who are struggling with their mental health.

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“Lived experience is one of the best teachers and so I’ve had a lot of experience with that, but a lot of understanding of how important building resilience is within firefighters and first responders in general,” McNair said.

The university’s department of psychiatry approached McNair while he was serving as the mental health advocate through the Saskatoon Firefighters’ union. The school is looking to do a study intended to evaluate the mental health of Saskatoon Fire Department members and determine the best resources which should be in place.

“We’ve got some really incredible professionals at the university who ... with their years of experience and education, will guide the department in the direction we need to go to keep our young firefighters and paramedics at the fire department for a healthy 30 plus year career,” McNair said.

The firefighter is now recruiting his colleagues to take part in a variety of surveys for the study. The university is aiming to gather data from hundreds of members, in order to understand how the programs which currently exist are working.

“So far, everybody’s been really supportive and understanding and thinks it’s a good idea and we can also then get as many people involved in the study as possible. So, we get a really good understanding, a picture of what’s going on at the fire department,” McNair said.

The study is tentatively expected to begin in January, with a written survey which will include current SPD members, and their families.

“Then there will be about a six-week period where they’re going to run focus groups with in-person guided conversations,” McNair explained. “So, this the survey will give a broad view of how the department is doing. And then the focus groups will give a really in-depth understanding of what’s going on.”

While the project is still in the early stages, McNair is hopeful to see the study eventually provide the SFD with the information necessary to provide its members with the support they need.

“What I hope to see is a really good understanding of how our membership is doing,” he said. “So that we and management from the fire department can advocate for better training, better resources for the mental health of our staff.”