KENILWORTH – Wellington North’s fire peer support team helps both firefighters and the community remain strong.
On April 29, Fire Chief David Guilbault introduced members of this team to Wellington North council.
Team members include deputy chief Bill Hieber, Rev. Edward Charlton, Raymond Tout and Stacy Muir.
When tragedy strikes, firefighters are not dealing with some nameless individual – but often someone they know, officials say.
The Wellington North Fire Service Peer Support Team is trained to assist peers who have encountered traumatic events on or off duty.
The team provided information regarding their post traumatic stress disorder prevention plan, policy and program.
In a show of support, numerous members of the Wellington North fire services were in attendance.
Team members outlined what the program does and how it supports firefighters, their families and the community at large.
“I have to say this is one of the leading peer support program in Wellington County … if not beyond,” Guilbault said.
The peer support team gives support, assesses individual needs and is available 24/7.
Acute stress disorder, post traumatic stress disorder/injury and critical incident stress were explained.
The team reviewed traumatic incident response tacking, critical incident response and WSIB forms.
Next steps for the team include developing partnerships within Wellington County and Grey County, creating awareness and support throughout all emergency services and continuing to provide information and tools for those protecting local communities.
Mental health is as important as physical health, officials say.
Guilbault said all team members have had training in mental health, first aid, psychological intervention and group crisis intervention, advanced group crisis intervention, applied suicide intervention skills training, compassion, fatigue and supporting individuals with trauma.
“Their credentials speak volumes,” he said. “They are not clinicians, but they are certainly there to not only help our firefighters, but also members of council or any other employee of the township.”
Councillors were told the main focus is on firefighters – their mental health and how it affects their families and the community.
The goal is to take a holistic approach of prevention, intervention and recovery.
If people are suffering from a stress injury the team is not only there to help the individual return to work, but to also connect the person to other resources as needed.
The team sees individuals not simply as firefighters – but as people and as part of the community.
The reality of living in small towns and small communities is that when firefighters go out on calls they are not just dealing with strangers but people they know and care about, officials say.
The team wants to create awareness through all emergency services.
Tout, a firefighter, said “mental health is as important as physical health. We want to continue to be strong and resilient.”
The group’s request to council was a recognition of the need for such a service and for support.
Council was presented with pledge sheets signed by firefighters in both Arthur and Mount Forest.
It was stressed the peer support team is for more than just the firefighters and fire services.
Guilbault asked council for its support as he gave kudos to the large number of firefighters out on a non-training night to show their support.
Wellington OPP Inspector Scott Lawson was been part of the process as well.
“This is a hugely important topic for me,” he said, adding that the department has been affected through a death by suicide of one of its own in 2018.
Lawson said this is something his organization has worked on for a number of years.
“I’m glad the mayor and council are showing their support,” he said. “This really shouldn’t be called an initiative, it should be a program embedded in everything we do.”
Lawson said he is proud to be working alongside people who were so passionate in support of their firefighters.
“There is nothing more important than that,” he said.
Mayor Andy Lennox congratulated members of the fire services and those leading the Wellington North Fire Service Peer Support Team.
“I think it is really important you continue to care for each other,” Lennox said.
“As we talk about this issue more, not only within the fire services, but within the community, this will help stamp out the stigma and educate people about the signs of mental illness so we can not only help each other, but our community as a whole.
“From my perspective, I would like to see this (program) continue indefinitely.”
