Busy year for Sudbury's peer support team helping first responders cope with added stress

Dealing with the unknowns connected to the COVID-19 pandemic has meant higher stress levels for first responders. 

In the City of Greater Sudbury there is a team that helps firefighters and paramedics deal with stressful situations and mental health issues. They are called the Peer Support Network. 

The members provide a listening ear to allow first responders to talk through their emotions which may have surfaced, as they deal with either a work or home-related issue.

Working as a firefighter or paramedic can be stressful at the best of times, but over the past year they've also had the added stress of the coronavirus.

"As careful as we're being on calls — making sure all of our protective equipment is in place — you never truly know if you've had a breach. So you never truly know if you're safe and if you're keeping your family safe," says Lyndsay Fearnley-Unger, a paramedic on the peer support team.

"That weighs a lot on your mind even when you're not thinking about it, it's always in the back of your head," she added.

"Unknowns are the most difficult things to cope with."

The added stress has meant that the peer support team in Greater Sudbury has been busy over the past year.

"On top of everything that they have to deal with as a first responder, is to deal with the COVID pandemic and its impact," says Brian Morrison, acting deputy fire chief and a peer support team member.

"Not being able to see family, or the fear of bringing something home, or that call they just did or it's a piece of broken equipment." he said. 

"I don't see burnout; I just see that there are people that maybe their fuses are a little short today because of all of the things that are going on."

'They see things they can't unsee'

The peer support team is also called in when there is a critical incident. It provides a chance for first responders who were at those calls to process what just happened. 

"They see a lot of things that they can't unsee," Morrison said.

"Our job in the peer support team is to reach out to our firefighters and paramedics following those types of events and give them an opportunity to diffuse — where they are able to talk through that experience and the emotional impact on it," he added.

Bridge to more mental health resources 

Along with listening to their colleagues, the peer support team may also direct their colleague to more mental health resources if they're needed.

"We call ourselves the bridge, to get to that [mental health resources] access and the help that they would need, depending on what situation we're talking about,'' Fearnley-Unger said.

"It very much depends on the individual's coping strategies as well as other things that are going on in their life," she said.

However, because of the pandemic, normal coping mechanisms like going to the gym or socializing with friends, have been restricted for first responders who are dealing with extra stress.

At the end of the day, Fearnley-Unger says the Peer Support Network provides a safe and confidential space for first responders to download whatever it is they need to talk about.

"We're here for them and we always have a listening ear and we'll do our best always to help them out."