This paramedic had post-traumatic stress injuries. So they created a healthy workplace

Paramedic Miles Randall still thinks about what he could have done for a friend if he had been allowed to climb the mountain on a snowy January day in 2014.

Randall was working as a ground ambulance paramedic when a man was reported to be in cardiac arrest on Mount Seymour, North Vancouver.

Randall would discover that it was his friend of over 20 years, tim jones,

But Rendell says the provincial ambulance service’s risk-mitigation policy at the time meant he and his colleagues were not allowed to go up the mountain that night.

Paramedics tried to revive him, but Randall says too much time had passed.

He said, “I’ll never know for sure, but I feel like if we had provided her with advanced care sooner we would have given her a better chance of survival.”

As the years went on, Rendell says he struggled more and more with the intensity of the calls.

“I was in a very dark place and I needed help, but the response at the time was not helpful,” he told CBC host Dr. Brian Goldman. White coat, black art.

Across Canada, several union officials representing paramedics have sounded the alarm over burnout, stress and post-traumatic stress injuries caused by the working conditions many paramedics are dealing with.

The president of the Ambulance Paramedics of BC union said there has recently been a “deep mental health crisis” within the profession.

canada wide research shows First responders such as paramedics are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress injuries, depression and anxiety at higher rates than the general public.

Dr. Margaret MacKinnon, professor and associate chair of research in McMaster University’s department of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience, says that’s because first responders face many different stressful situations in their work.

“It can have a wide-ranging impact on how they carry out their daily duties, impact on their family life, impact on their mental health and well-being,” he said.

In 2018, Randall says his career as a paramedic with the provincial ambulance service ended when he was deemed disabled and unemployable due to his mental health and post-traumatic stress injuries.

So Rendell says he created his own team of first responders. He founded Technical Evacuation Advanced Aero Medical (TEAM), a non-profit that responds to calls in remote wilderness areas by helicopter.

Rendell says the organization has mental health support available. Each TEAAM member chooses as their partner the person they feel most comfortable working with – or “wingperson” as they call it. And each base has a point person who conducts regular check-ins with team members.

team building

In addition to the desire to establish a supportive workplace, Randall says part of the inspiration for creating TEAAM in 2018 was to address gaps in BC’s health care system.

Nurses, physicians, paramedics and other health care professionals working with TEAAM provide advanced care in the field, often in remote areas that ground ambulances cannot reach.

“When it comes to wilderness air ambulance work in Canada, we are the first and only one that is really doing that type of work,” he said.

Dan Roddick says he was initially attracted to TEAAM for what he calls the “wow factor”: the high level of medical care delivered to patients in remote locations.

Roddick, a full-time paramedic with the provincial ambulance service and a paid-on-call firefighter, says he stayed on his off-time to work with TEAAM because of how much priority is given to the well-being of staff.

Roddick pointed out a recent difficult mission with many logistical challenges after which Randall called him late in the evening to see if he needed any assistance.

“Working in the medical field is hard on the soul, but TEAM prioritizes mental well-being and supporting each other in any way possible,” he said in an email to CBC.

role of workplace

MacKinnon says it’s important for organizations to support and connect with first responders to get help as needed.

She says establishing a workplace where concerns can be raised without reprimand, and communicating when worker feedback is implemented, are key steps leaders can take.

She says what TEAM does with the wingperson program and other supports is an encouraging development.

CBC asked BC Emergency Health Services about Randall’s specific circumstances and the decisions surrounding the response to the 2014 call at Mount Seymour. An emailed statement said the organization is unable to comment on confidential human resources matters and decisions related to emergency response due to privacy laws.

The statement said that, generally speaking, the organization responds to calls as quickly as possible while considering patient safety and the well-being of staff. The statement listed mental health supports provided by BC EHS, including an employee and family support program and a specialized team that debriefs and supports staff after challenging calls.

MacKinnon says she’s optimistic that things can change for the better for first responders, but notes that this work requires resources, and that means provincial and federal dollars.

“If we don’t have the resources, we can’t implement these changes, OK? That’s a pragmatic response, but I think it’s really important because we need those supports,” she said.