Invisible Wounds, the Result of Occupations That are far More Dangerous Than the Military.

Crisis in the military: Canadian soldiers have officially left Afghanistan; but for many men and women in the Canadian Forces, an invisible war still rages.

Global News spoke with five current and former members of the Canadian Forces, each with post-traumatic stress disorder. What they revealed amounts to a crisis in the military. They all described debilitating injuries and difficulty in getting treatment, either initially or long-term.

However, since the end of April last year, at least 30 Canadian first responders (fire fighters, police officers, paramedics and federal corrections officers have taken their own lives. First responders see hundreds of horrific traumas, and the best research we have indicates thousands of them may be in crisis, in occupations where the prevailing culture still tells them it’s not okay to ask for help. In the military our fighting men and woman know pretty much what to expect—they have the protective gear and the equipment to carry out their job.

Once our Federal Government???has decided to place them in a war situation, their job is to kill or be killed.

While they also do have protective equipment plus the tools and training to carry out their jobs; First Responders can never know what to expect and so are often ill equipped to encounter a given situation.

In the past 10 weeks,13 Canadian first responders reportedly killed themselves, according to Tema Conter Memorial Trust, an organization that promotes mental health awareness among Canada’s emergency workers.

Those who took their lives were a mix of police officers, paramedics and federal corrections officers.

Five Canadian first responders have reportedly killed themselves since January 1, 2015, according to Tema Conter Memorial Trust, an organization that promotes mental health awareness among Canada’s emergency workers. Is there enough mental health support for first responders?

Mental health support for first responders varies depending on where you live, according to Dwayne Forsman, who represents the Paramedic Association of Canada. Toronto Emergency Medical Services – the largest EMS service in the country – is the only service that provides its frontline workers with a dedicated staff psychologist, for example.

NDP MPP Cheri DiNovo has been pushing a bill that would make it easier for first responders with post-traumatic stress disorder to qualify for WSIB compensation; Bill 2 recently passed second reading at Queen’s Park, where it received all-party support. The bill will now go to committee for debate.

When Sergeant Jag Soin talks about the horrible things he’s seen during his 20-plus years with the RCMP, he goes to a dark place. “I had never realized how difficult it would be,” he says. “People dying in your arms, you know. People burnt alive.” Sgt Soin has been suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder for 13 years. Looking back, he can pinpoint when it started; an incident in 2001 when he was posted to a small two-person detachment in Northern Labrador. A domestic disturbance quickly exploded in violence. Soin and his partner were doused with gas and set on fire. Struggling to find their way out of a house engulfed in flames, choking on smoke, and burning alive, Soin believed he was about to die. “The last thought that came through my mind, I thought this is it. I am never going to see my son again.”Soin and his partner managed to get out. The memory of what he saw next will be with him forever.