The cost of saving lives

If holidays can be stressful for the average person, they can be double trouble for emergency responders. Especially as calls increase during these times. Plus, many won’t get a break for the holiday.

"The job is harsh, long hours, heavy loads, heavy emotions, pain, sleep deprivation, hunger, sadness, and brutal reality." These are the words a current EMS provider used to describe what it’s like in their shoes. Whether they’re paramedics, firefighters, or police officers, along with a deep fulfillment in saving a life, there is also an emotional toll it takes on responders, and those around them. Depression, anxiety, and other problems that can make coping difficult. 

Alan Clampett, a paramedic with the Acadian Ambulance Service, says it’s important that the men and women in these positions stay in tuned with themselves and each other. “Firefighters and other crew members do their best to save lives and sometimes not enough. That’s one of those critical response triggers. Feeling anything you’ve done is not enough.”

Many find relief in talking with each other, having formed a bond through a world many of us will never know. When venting is no longer enough, emergency responders are urged to seek professional help.