New Redford govt’s first bill aims to help first responders
Posted May 24, 2012 3:51 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
EDMONTON – Alberta police, firefighters, and paramedics who can’t function due to post-traumatic stress disorder will soon no longer have to fight to prove they are ill.
The province, in its new speech from the throne Thursday, promised to introduce a bill this sitting to remove the burden of proof of PTSD for first responders.
Police and firefighters say many of them are afflicted by the illness, but have to fight to get benefits and are usually denied.
Human Services Minister Dave Hancock says that needs to change, given the amount of carnage and violence first responders are exposed to daily.
The bill will be introduced this sitting, but won’t pass until at least the fall.
The legislature has already sat this spring, but is sitting for one more week to clean up some housekeeping items and select a new Speaker.
The president of the Calgary Police Association is applauding the new legislation announced in Premier Redford’s throne speech.
John Dooks said the announcement will also raise awareness about the illness, which like all disorders, has a stigma attached.
He discussed some of the symptoms he’s seen during his career.
“It causes them to make bad decisions, causes them to make bad decisions, causes them to be second-guessing themselves, be paranoid,” he said. “That’s why they call it a disability, it disables them from doing the job that they want to do and that they’ve been trained to do.”
Dooks adds this is a need emergency crews have been pushing for quite some time.
“This truly is a victory for victims, as we all know, emergency responders are often the forgotten victims,” he said. “They’re the ones that deal with crisis, with threats, with uncontrolled environments and unknowns all the time.”
