Supporting Equitable, Diverse, and Inclusive Psychosocial Health and Resilience of First Responders in Alberta

Summary

The purpose of this study is to strengthen social supports in order to improve psychosocial and mental health of firefighters and foster their capacity to deal with trauma, stress, and burnout in their profession. A critical component to successfully enhancing social supports is understanding and addressing intersecting identity factors – that is, how firefighters racialized, gendered, and/or geographic location impact access, participation, and quality experiences in social supports. As such, this research will consider equity, diversity, and inclusion in social supports to improve psychosocial and mental health of firefighters. The result of the study will have practical implications in mitigating and better managing occupational stress not only for firefighters but also for other first responders.