They run toward what the rest of us run from — gunfire, flames, and unspeakable tragedy.
For Canada’s first responders, witnessing the unthinkable is part of the job. But what’s often unseen is what they carry with them long after the sirens fade.
“They ask, ‘Are you OK?’” says retired RCMP officer Jonathan Williams. “And I always said, ‘Of course I’m good.’ Because whatever I just came from… was worse.”
Williams served 14 years in the RCMP. He describes his time on the force as meaningful — but behind the uniform was a growing weight he could no longer ignore.
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“For me, it was years and years of seeing so much,” he says. “It’s not normal, but you get used to it. And then it just started eroding me.”
What followed was a battle with depression and PTSD — invisible injuries that eventually led him to seek help.
“The recovery program was everything,” Williams explains. “It allowed me to get to a safe place — not just physically, but mentally.”
That program is run by Diversified Rehabilitation Group, a Kelowna-based organization offering specialized support for trauma-exposed first responders. This month, they’re spearheading an online awareness campaign called Sounding the Alarm to shed light on what many suffer in silence.
“We’re reaching out through social media during our 31-day campaign,” says Derek Sienko, chief mental health officer with Diversified. “When they come to us, they’re emotionally beat up. And they’re not used to sharing — because they’ve been trained not to.”
But silence can be deadly.
“When trauma goes untreated,” Sienko says, “the consequences can be devastating. We lose them — in many different ways. Suicide is one of them. And I don’t think there’s even one question in my mind… all of that is preventable.
“If we can save a life, we must.”
More information on the campaign can be found online.
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Campaign to raise awareness for first responder mental health across Canada
