NCT03401684

The Resilient Minds Program in Fire Departments

Assessing the Impact of the Resilient Minds Program in Fire Departments

• Status: Unknown
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 600 (estimated)
• Sponsor: McMaster University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The purpose of the study is to assess the impact of a mental health training program in volunteer and career firefighters.

Detailed description

THE PROBLEM: Firefighters are frequently exposed to distressing events, or critical incidents such as motor vehicle accidents, burnt bodies, failed rescue attempts, threats to one's own life, and completed suicides that can trigger posttraumatic stress reactions. Previous research show that first responders and other public safety personnel report frequent exposure to traumatic events and are at increased risk for mental health illnesses. THE STUDY OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of a mental health training program in volunteer and career firefighters. THE STUDY SAMPLE: 600 firefighters: 300 Prince Edward Island volunteer or career firefighters, 300 Vancouver career firefighters INTERVENTION: Vancouver Fire \& Rescue Services and the Canadian Mental Health Association-Vancouver Fraser co-developed a new program called, "Resilient Minds-Building the Psychological Health of Fire Fighters." The Resilient Minds training will educate firefighters about the effects of trauma, how to recognize signs of mental health illness and how to access support after critical events. It also trains firefighters to recognize mental health and addictions in co-workers and how to facilitate their help-seeking. OUTCOMES: The impact of the program will be assessed by pre- and post-program surveys, 3-month, 6-month, 12-month follow-up surveys.

Conditions

• Trauma
• Critical Incident
• Mental Illness

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Resilient Minds	The program is designed: 1) to decrease the risk of developing a stress disorder or other mental illnesses due to workplace incidents and/or unhealthy stress; 2) to mitigate the negative impacts of mental illness and trauma through early recognition and early intervention; 3) to support the public while on the frontline; and 4) to improve the psychological health of fire staff while cultivating resilience and enhancing quality of life.

Timeline

• Start date: 2018-01-25
• Primary completion: 2021-06-30
• Completion: 2021-12-31
• First posted: 2018-01-17
• Last updated: 2021-09-09

Locations

5 sites across 1 country: Canada