As Bob Taylor would later tell his daughter, his first call working for Richmond Fire-Rescue was responding to a fatal, multi-vehicle crash on Westminster Highway.
It was back in the 1970s, and when Taylor got on scene the officer in charge told him to go into the bushes to retrieve one victim鈥檚 severed head. New on the job, Taylor put on gloves, readied a plastic bag and moved into the brush to collect it.聽
Responding to graphic, traumatic calls is part of every firefighter鈥檚 job. It takes a toll on anyone, and what makes it worse, said Fire Chief Tim Wilkinson, is the sense of helplessness that despite your best efforts, people still die.
But even though firefighting is a hard job, Taylor was good at it. He was brave, caring and 鈥渢ough as nails,鈥� his daughter Christy Judd told the聽Richmond News.聽He rose through the ranks to become a captain, and in 2004 was named Firefighter of the Year before being named Fire Captain and Crew of the Year in 2005.聽
鈥淏eing a firefighter was in my dad鈥檚 blood,鈥� Judd said. 鈥淪aving people鈥檚 lives was what fed his soul.鈥�
聽On Oct. 14, Taylor died by suicide. He was 65 and had been retired for about a decade.
He was dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder, his family said. It鈥檚 a mental illness that can develop following a traumatic event. It鈥檚 characterized by intrusive memories, flashbacks or nightmares and agitation or a feeling of numbness or detachment.
鈥淗e said he couldn鈥檛 stop the pounding in his brain,鈥� Judd said.
It鈥檚 a disorder that鈥檚 more prevalent in first responders than the general population. One German study found that nearly 20 per cent of surveyed firefighters presented with symptoms of PTSD. A that surveyed about 6,000 public safety personnel found that 45.5 per cent of them screened positive for 鈥渃linically significant symptom clusters consistent with one or more mental disorders."
A U.S. says that in any given year a department is four times聽more聽likely to experience a member dying by suicide than being killed in the line of duty.聽
Judd remembers her dad as 鈥渓arger than life,鈥� someone prone to doing random acts of kindness for strangers, like leaving a cold case of beer on his neighbour鈥檚 steps when he moved into his apartment.
Don Taylor, Bob鈥檚 younger brother, also remembers him as someone聽with a聽鈥減assionate character.鈥� The two were close, playing sports together and growing up on Francis Road in Richmond.
鈥淚 had it pretty easy growing up, because I was Bob Taylor鈥檚 little brother,鈥� he said.
Taylor鈥檚 death is making the department鈥檚 current focus on mental health all the more pertinent and calling into question whether more can be done to help retirees.
Richmond Fire-Rescue focusing on mental health
Although firefighters have always been exposed to聽gruesome and disturbing聽situations, only recently has the profession begun to realize the immense mental toll those take.聽 Several high-ranking members of Richmond鈥檚 fire department聽have noted聽the 180-degree shift the profession has made in the last decade or so, going from聽a place聽where a stoic attitude was prized to聽one聽where mental health is taken very seriously.
The Richmond department has聽implemented Critical Incident Stress Management sessions, where firefighters who go out on a traumatic call are taken aside and debriefed on their聽reactions聽afterwards. The department has also implemented mandatory mental health training courses like Resilient Minds and the Road to Mental Readiness.
鈥淏asically, a person has a capacity to take on trauma. And we鈥檙e all a little bit different. We鈥檝e taken on a bit more or a bit less. But once you鈥檙e full, you鈥檙e full. You can鈥檛 take any more,鈥� Wilkinson said.
He hopes the department鈥檚 education efforts give them the ability to process and 鈥渟hed鈥� that trauma.
Jim Dickson, another Richmond firefighter, is a Resilient Minds trainer who delivers the program to his peers.聽
In the workshops, firefighters role聽play scenarios. Some involve responding to calls where a member of the public is in crisis. Other times, it鈥檚 a colleague.聽
鈥淵ou definitely get a sense from the room that it鈥檚 not an easy topic, even though we鈥檙e just role playing. They鈥檙e not easy conversations聽-- but they鈥檙e necessary,鈥� Dickson said.
Vancouver Fire-Rescue also implemented the program, and 70 per cent of members who went through it said they use the techniques regularly at聽work and聽at聽home.
Dickson remembers the very first Resilient Minds class he ran was on the Monday after Bryan Kongus鈥� funeral, a Richmond firefighter who died as a result of work-related PTSD. Needless to say, there was buy-in from members to participate.
Although, today, it is strongly impressed on聽new聽recruits聽that Richmond Fire-Rescue takes mental health seriously, that wasn鈥檛 always the case.
Wilkinson, Dickson and Cory Parker, president of Richmond鈥檚 firefighter union, are all more than 25 years into their firefighting career. They all said when they started, things were much different.
鈥淭he follow-up 20 years ago was the captain saying 鈥榶ou ok?鈥�,鈥� Parker said.
鈥淲ell, a number of years back you would have a couple聽of聽drinks. So basically, you dull the feelings,鈥� Wilkinson added.
Judd said her dad came from a generation of firefighters that formed a sort of 鈥渙ld boys club,鈥� where you didn鈥檛 talk about mental health struggles. As a result, he didn鈥檛 have聽the tools to deal with his post-traumatic stress disorder.
Should more support be available to retirees?
Parker聽believes聽there鈥檚 still catching up to do, for a profession that for so long prided itself on toughness.
While active members have workplace benefits and coverage for things like psychologist appointments, Parker is worried about retirees slipping through the cracks.
Judd said she鈥檇 like to see more outreach to retirees鈥攑erhaps information packages delivered to their door detailing the supports available. Don, Taylor鈥檚 brother, agreed.聽
Steve Fraser, with Vancouver Fire-Rescue, said the BC Professional Fire Fighters Association has recently opened up mental health retreats to retirees. They鈥檙e courses involving group work and sessions with mental health professionals that last several days.
But besides that, he said he鈥檚 not sure what to tell retirees other than to seek help through community supports like family doctors and private counsellors.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 something that I struggle with often, what to do with our retired members. Unfortunately, we don鈥檛 have a lot of answers,鈥� he said.
Dr. Lynn Alder, a clinical psychologist at the University of British Columbia, said that for most people, symptoms of acute stress or PTSD will fade within three months of the event. But for the minority of people whose symptoms persist past six months, they鈥檙e unlikely to go away without treatment.
鈥淓ven after retirement, these people are at risk for PTSD,鈥� she said, adding that sometimes being less busy with work can make symptoms more pronounced. 鈥淸Developing PTSD is] more likely the more of these traumatic events they experience.鈥�
Earlier this year, amendments were made to worker鈥檚 compensation legislation so that mental disorders that occur in workers who are first responders are automatically assumed to be caused by exposure to traumatic incidents at work. Before, the onus was on the first responder and their family to prove that was the case.
But it鈥檚 unclear what these changes might mean for a first responder like Taylor who was retired.
Conrad Margolis, a Richmond lawyer who deals with WorkSafeBC and Workers鈥櫬燙ompensation Board claims, says getting compensation for work-related psychological conditions is often still a struggle for families.
The new legislation came into effect on May 17, 2018 and only applies to WCB decisions made after that date. Though Taylor died in October, he stopped working long before.
鈥淭he family probably does have an uphill battle here,鈥� he said.
罢丑别听Richmond News聽asked WorkSafeBC what the new legislation might mean for a retiree, but a spokersperson for the agency said it was a complex issue that could only be answered by knowing the specifics of a person鈥檚 case.
Deaths illustrate the importance of focusing on mental health
Wilkinson said he doesn鈥檛 want firefighters like Taylor or Kongus to be made into martyrs. But, at the same time, their deaths reinforce how necessary a proactive approach to mental health is.
He wants every member to feel comfortable reaching out for help.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e an action-oriented person. We hired you to be that, so take action. If you鈥檙e having a struggle with your mental health, that鈥檚 not a bad thing. Go to a psychologist, go to a counsellor. Delve into it, and take your life into your own control.鈥�
Judd thinks the department鈥檚 current focus on mental health is 鈥渢he best news possible.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 hopefully going to save a life. It鈥檚 going to save a family losing their loved one."
