Burnout in emergency services has often been discussed in terms of long shifts, trauma exposure, and staffing shortages.
However, two paramedics working in Langley are bringing together paramedics and other emergency service staff to combat isolation.
Chris Michel, president of the Fraser Paramedic Society (FPS), and vice-president Nick Pardalis say some of the most meaningful support can come from simple connection with colleagues.
“When we think about burnout, we recognize that paramedics tend to burn out alone,” Michel said. “So by helping to make those connections, we’re hopefully starting to prevent a bit of that.”
The pair began working together in 2022 and created the society, which hosts events mainly for paramedics while also welcoming firefighters, nurses and RCMP officers they work alongside.
“We wanted to learn people’s names, build good relationships,” said Michel.
They also wanted to shift the tone inside a profession where stress can harden into negativity.
“Work can be pretty tough and so cynicism is easy to sneak in. But we also recognize that positivity can be a really powerful force, too,” said Michel.
They started with small gatherings, including karaoke nights and a Robbie Burns celebration, which later grew into a gala attended by hundreds of paramedics, and most recently, a screening of the movie “Code 3” for 200 paramedics, with co-writer Patrick Pianezza in attendance.
Pardalis said the response to the events has shown that something was missing.
“Two years later people are still talking about that gala that we did,” he said. “The impact it had was pretty profound.”
The society continues to organize social events, retirement celebrations, and fundraisers, but both stressed they are not replacing professional mental health care.
“There are so many really good services available to paramedics,” Michel said. “We recognize those services are incredibly important.”
Michel said he personally took eight months off work and credits existing supports for helping him recover.
“I was able to come out of that better than before I had my mental health injury,” he said.
What FPS hopes to add is a sense of belonging, while creating space for conversations.
“A lot of us are too scared to talk about that stuff sometimes,” Pardalis said. “There’s so much stigma involved.”
That stigma, he said, has eased over time. Earlier in his career, the culture was often to “Suck it up. Get back to work.”
Connection between paramedics is especially important when wider public health emergencies add further pressure to the job.
April 13 marked the 10-year anniversary of the toxic-drug crisis in B.C., for instance.
As paramedics who regularly respond to overdose calls, Michel and Pardalis said they have spoken to more than 6,000 students across the Lower Mainland about the toxic-drug crisis and substance use.
In their presentations, they avoid fear-based messaging, instead focusing on research, risk factors, and why people begin to use substances. They are attempting to remove the stigma against people who use drugs so underlying issues can be discussed.
They hope education can help young people better understand a crisis affecting pretty much every community.
One long-term goal an FPS club house, a permanent gathering space for paramedics and other first responders to meet outside of work.
Often, paramedics are perceived as a mobile workforce, constantly moving between calls and communities, so having a space to gather or decompress might offer something the job rarely provides.
For now, the two see change happening, especially with younger workers and the next generation of paramedics entering the workforce.
“It’s a great time to really set the tone of positivity,” Pardalis said, noting that the phrase “set the tone” is a common Emergency Medical Services term referring to establishing a calm and confident atmosphere when arriving at a scene that is anything but.
People can learn more or stay up to date with FPS at fraserparamedics.com or on Facebook at Fraser Paramedic Society.