Fighting fires in B.C. and stigma around mental health subject of Regina man's documentary
Filmmaker says there is some reluctance to discuss mental health in firefighting culture
A Regina filmmaker is attempting to break the stigma around openly discussing mental health issues among firefighters as he and a film crew document the people fighting the wildfires in British Columbia.
While he has been out on the front lines of the blazes, which have burned more than 1.3 million hectares across the west coast province, Panayioti Yannitsos said broaching the subject of mental health with firefighters can be uncomfortable.
"The more and more that I spend time with them, the more I begin to realize the mental toll that they face on the job," Yannitsos told CBC Radio's The Morning Edition on Monday.
Yannitsos and a small crew have been following and filming fire crews, some composed of people from around the world, as they battle the blazes. There have been more than 2,000 fires so far since April 1.
He said the point of the filming is to create a perspective or a study on the mental impact of firefighting as well as raise awareness for the supports some firefighters may need.
Yannitsos compared the stress levels of fighting fires to that of the military or on-call paramedics. He said firefighters see a lot of trauma which can take its toll but some are reluctant to speak about it because of what he calls a firefighting culture.
It has SHOCKED ME how quickly fire travels in the wild. In MINUTES, a tiny bush fire begins to grow into a monster and you are surrounded and helpless. I always had a deep respect for fire crews, but this experience has elevated EVERY BIT OF IT. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BCwildfire?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BCwildfire</a> <a href="https://t.co/XmelggLsJi">pic.twitter.com/XmelggLsJi</a>
—@pyannitsos"You kind of have to put yourself and your own mental well-being on standby, and I've seen that across the board," he said.
The job is fraught with dangers due to how fast fire can spread and its unpredictability, something his film crew experienced first hand. Seeing the carnage fire leaves behind could also have a mental impact on firefighters, he said.
"When you step into a forest that has been completely decimated, it is quite depressing and it hits you really hard," Yannitsos said.
"You're squaring off against a beast that you know you're not necessarily going to defeat without it taking its toll but you're trying to contain it. It's absolutely overwhelming."
Yannitsos said filming will wrap up around November and that the documentary will be released some time in the new year.
With files from CBC Radio's The Morning Edition