Putting their best paws forward: Raising awareness about first responders' mental health
When the alarm sounds and firefighters head out on a call, they never really know what's waiting for them.
“A lot of times we end up in a situation that we didn’t guess or bargain for and the effect that it has over a period of time,” says firefighter Michael Sears.
That toll was too much for Claudia Currie's son Kyle. He took his own life in 2018.
So together with Sears, they started Fight 4 Life, a program to support the mental health of firefighters and first responders in the Halifax Regional Municipality.
“I named it Fight 4 Life because there’s a fight going on. Firefighters fight fires, they fight to stay mentally stable and we now have to fight to get funding to help them go to the next level,” Currie says.
To fund the program, a calendar featuring firefighters and their pets was created. Andrew Younger was one of the photographers involved.
“They see things that many of us as civilians just can never imagine and they take that home with them. This is just a small way of trying to get back and support them,” says Younger.
Deputy Fire Chief Dave Meldrum is already seeing the benefits of the program.
“The work that Fight 4 Life is doing is critical to ensure (it) is there when it’s needed and very importantly … (when) firefighters are ready to receive it,” Meldrum says.
“It’s such an asset. Having these resources is just crucial for your success in this career and any first responder career,” says firefighter Emma Roberts.
This is the third year for the calendar which was shot over two days at the Fall River fire station.
All of the proceeds from the sale of the calendar goes to the Fight 4 Life charity in support of the 450 career firefighters in the HRM who risk it all on the job.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.