First responders in N.L. will soon have a local voice to help with the mental health toll of the job

First responders dealing with the sometimes devastating mental health toll of their jobs will soon have some local support from people who know what they're going through.

The provincial government is launching anew help line,specifically designed for paramedics and other first responders as a non-crisis mental health support staffed byother first responders who can relate to and have lived experiences.

"What they can expect is to have someone who can listen to their story, share some of their own story to help them hope, to help them look at their own struggles in a more positive light and find a way to carry the baggage of a very difficult job a little bit more lightly,"said Brad Glynn,executive director of Lifewise N.L., the not-for-profit organization running the help line.

"So when a first responder reaches out, they're speaking to someone who can truly understand and listen to the stresses they face in their work life and how that can impact their personal lives as well," he said.

The province is spending $236,000 on the one-year pilot project, which will see the line staffed12 hours a day, seven days a week by six paid workers in Newfoundland and Labrador.

It's expected to be up and running by mid-June.

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Responding to emergency scenes can have brutal effects on first responders like paramedics and firefighters, and Glynn said demand for the line which will be accessible across the entire province is there.

He saidstaff can and will provide information for other services in the event a first responder needs deeper help.

Rodney Gaudet, president of the Paramedic's Association of Newfoundland and Labrador, told CBC News the new help line is "wonderful news."

"We've been saying for years that things need to change," he said.

"One of the highest things on the list was to have a proper peer support for first responders put in place in our province."

However, Gaudet said it's unfortunate the program is only a pilot for one year. He's hoping the support will continue after the project ends.

"I really hope that they'll see the advantage of it, that they'll reach out and speak to the warm line and utilize the warm line as it's available," he said.

"The culture has definitely changed. Years ago it used to be that you just suck it up, you've got to be tough enough to deal with this profession, but we're all human and we do have times that our emotions get the best of us. There's times wherewe do cry at the end of a call because of the stuff that we see and deal with."

Where to get help if you or someone you know is struggling:

Talk Suicide Canada: 1-833-456-4566 (phone) | 45645 (Text, 4 p.m. to midnight ET only)

Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868 (phone), live chat counselling at www.kidshelpphone.ca

Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention:Find a 24-hour crisis centre

Hope for Wellness Helpline: 1-855-242-3310 (phone, available in Cree, Ojibway and Inuktitut upon request)

Lifewise N.L. English warm line: 1-855-753-2560

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