The NWT Fire Chiefs Association (NWTFCA) will be partnering with Wounded Warriors Canada (WWC) in hopes of providing more access to mental health resources to first responders. The announcement was made on Thursday at the Yellowknife Fire Hall.

Nelson Johnson, president of the NWTFCA and chief of the Yellowknife Fire Division, said that for the last 25 years, catered mental health initiatives in the fire service has been needed.

"We've all had somebody, or known of something, or somebody that has been affected by mental health," he said. "Where somebody has left the service or someone's had an emotional response to something, all the way up to including suicide."

That's where WWC comes in. It's a national mental health service provider, serving trauma-exposed organizations and professions.

The deal with WWC gives the association a resource for addressing PTSD, depression and suicidal ideation, according to a press release, as well as general resources for prevention and recovery for first responders.

Johnson explained that communities and fire departments will pay for services used through WWC, unless the association decides to do some fundraising to cover those costs, he added.

"This is not like a healthcare program, this is a preventive program," said Johnson, who also noted that the association is working on a peer-support and counselling program that will be free to use.

Peer-support would be accessed through an app, with the person needing help and the support worker both remaining anonymous, Johnson said. He explained the need for that goes back to having a catered service for people in these professions. 

Wounded Warriors' CEO Scott Maxwell echoed Johnson's remarks that the partnership with the fire chief's association will improve access to mental health services for first responders.

"When our logo goes up, it's unbelievable what kind of barriers go down," he said.