Paramedics face mental toll following death of colleague off Cape Spear

Paramedics on the Avalon Peninsula are used to responding to tragic accidents, but on Thursday, a routine emergency call turned into a deeply personal one when they learned it involved a colleague whose body was found in the frigid North Atlantic.

Chris Pearce, a 49-year-old paramedic with Eastern Health, died off Cape Spear in St. John's. The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary said no foul play was involved.

"[Paramedics] go out on one of these calls, and as soon as it's finished, they don't know the next call they're going to face," said Jerry Earle, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees, the union representing paramedics in the province. "And in this incident, it was a call that actually involved one of their co-workers, and they have to continue on working."

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Paramedics and other emergency services responded to a report of a body in the water off Cape Spear around 1 p.m. NT Thursday.

"Some say, 'It's the job you applied for.' Nobody applies for the job where they expect to deal with tragedy and not have some normal, human response to it," Earle said.

"You routinely take it home with you. It affects your family life, and vice versa. If you have home issues, it makes matters worse."

A candlelight vigil was held Friday evening on the helipad at the Health Sciences Centre, where co-workers, family members and first responders honoured Pearce.

The town of Conception Bay South lowered flags at the Monument of Honour to half-mast in his honour.

Earle said Pearce's co-workers are having a tough time dealing with the loss but have received good support from their employer, Eastern Health.

An assistance program for employees and their families is available through the health authority, Earle said, but workers who deal with death and tragedy on a daily basis may need enhanced services.