Wellington County fire chief develops PTSD support plan

When he returned home, he learned the "old" method of processing what he'd been through.

"My father was a fire captain...hesays, 'You're a firefighter, suck it up,'"said Guilbault. "God love him,World War Two veteran, and they just dealt with things differently back then, but we can't do that today. And we won't do it today."

His new plan focuses on prevention, intervention and recovery.

The department now provides training to recognize PTSD symptoms. The planrequiresa chaplain to go home or to the hospital withfirefighters who may have experienced trauma, staying with them if they determine they're experiencing an "unusually strong" reaction to anevent.

"It's a myriad of things that can have an impact on firefighters," saysGuilbault. "And maybe not today, maybe a month from now, a year from now."

To account forthat, the new planalso encourages ongoing communication.

In smaller communities, you could be more likely to answer a call involving someone you know, he says. And if you're a volunteer, like most people atthe Wellington North fire services, you may even have to head home or to another job after a call.

Guilbault says, difficult situations are part of the job, but asking for help when you need it should be as well.

"We know it's coming,"he says. "But there's a process to follow now...because we care about our firefighters."