Empowering First Responders

Firefighters: Summaries from Canadian Environmental and Workplace Health (CEWH) report that firefighters have >14% higher risk of dying from cancer than the general public, while reports from the National Fire Protection Association found that majority of firefighter deaths result from overexertion, stress, and medical causes rather than line of duty incidents. Mental health disorders contribute the greatest time-loss injury with equal distributions when accounting for age. Evidence suggests disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI) are rising in firefighters, impacting firefighter health and wellbeing. 

Police: Similarly, shift work and high levels of stress are reported by CEWH as key risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease and other chronic health issues in the ~70,000 police officers in Canada. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health demonstrated that rates of obesity (40% vs 32%), metabolic syndrome (25% vs 18%), suicide, and cancer are higher in police than the general population.

Paramedics: Exposure to periods of intense trauma, communicable diseases and violent situations, within a challenging work environment place paramedics at 1.5-fold heightened risk of illness or disability than people in other sectors. In particular, paramedics are more likely to experience mental disorders than other public safety personnel, who collectively are already 4-fold more likely to be diagnosed with a mental disorder than the general population.