PTSD a growing crisis among Canada's 1st responders
Between April 29 and December 31 of last year 27 first responders died by suicide
They're the women and men who speed their way towards emergencies, instead of away from them. They arrive in police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances. Now Canada's first responders are quietly living through an emergency of their own.
Last year in Canada 27 first responders died in suicides. So far this year, in just one month four more have taken their own lives. In this interview on CBC Radio's The Current three first responders tell of their experiences with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
And they won't be easy stories to listen to. The stories are not appropriate for younger listeners
Click the play button on this page and you'll hear host Anna Maria Tremonti, speak with Ralph Wolf Thistle, a former police officer with the Toronto Police Department for over three decades, Annette Hunter, a paramedic for 25 years with York Region and Sean Laverty, a fire-fighter with the Hamilton Fire Department for the last thirty years.