🧠 Yukon Fire Marshal Launches Mental Health Partnership for Firefighters
Thank you for choosing Automatic Translation. Currently we are offering translations from English into French and German, with more translation languages to be added in the near future. Please be aware that these translations are generated by a third party AI software service. While we have found that the translations are mostly correct, they may not be perfect in every case. To ensure the information you read is correct, please refer to the original article in English. If you find an error in a translation which you would like to bring to our attention, it would help us greatly if you let us know. We can correct any text or section, once we are aware of it. Please do not hesitate to contact our webmaster to let us know of any translation errors.
In a significant step toward supporting the mental health of first responders, the Yukon Fire Marshal’s Office has announced a new partnership with Wounded Warriors Canada, a national charity focused on trauma recovery and resiliency training for emergency personnel.
Unveiled during the Fire Rescue Yukon symposium on August 21, the initiative will provide Yukon’s 280 volunteer and municipal firefighters—and their families—with access to a suite of mental health services. These include proactive resiliency education, trauma recovery programs, and both online and in-person support options.
“This partnership is about prevention, resilience, education, and early intervention,” said Yukon Fire Marshal Kiara Adams.
“Our goal is to help responders stay healthy, recover well, and serve long careers.”
Two Paths to Support
Matthew Pegg, CEO of Warrior Health and spokesperson for Wounded Warriors, outlined two access streams:
- Zero-cost access: Funded by charitable donations, though subject to waitlists due to limited resources.
- Fee-for-service programs: Can be brought to Yukon through local, municipal, or territorial funding, coordinated via the Fire Marshal’s Office.
While Wildland Fire Management is not included in the partnership due to its separate organizational structure, Adams emphasized that mental health needs transcend funding levels or equipment quality. “Whether we’re well-resourced or not, the mental health impact remains,” she said.
The announcement comes amid broader concerns about firefighter well-being in the territory, including criticism over funding gaps and personal protective equipment quality. Adams said she meets monthly with fire chiefs to assess what services would be most valuable and tailor support accordingly.
You can read the full article on Canadian Firefighter Magazine.