The Heroes Project

10/19/2022

06/18/2022

On July 21, 2022, in Calgary, Alberta our fallen brother, Mike Hart will be laid to rest. On behalf of the Hart Family, we invite all who knew and worked with Mike to celebrate his life.

06/16/2022

Holding Space

I don't need you to solve my problems, I just need you to listen, and if I don't want to talk about it, then I just need you to hold space for me to process it.

Have a safe week, everyone,

DanSun

06/11/2022

05/29/2022

By John Dale. Working under that “push through it and suck it up” mindset is vital to getting through a tough call or safely out of a firefight and back to base. But its helpfulness ends when we’re off shift or back home from a deployment.

05/26/2022

A gunman killed 14 elementary school students and a teacher Tuesday in Uvalde, Texas. “He shot and killed, horrifically and incomprehensibly, 14 students and

05/18/2022

A TRUE story.. Minutes away from taking his own life..... HE WAS SAVED!!

All law enforcement officers, all friends and family, if you want a copy, here is the link.

Cop In Crisis to Cop In Christ https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1940097576/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_YVWPN5YW2DQPNTEVMP4T

05/14/2022

Kiss Away My Ghosts is performed by Creed Fisher and The Redneck Nation Band, (creedfisher.net) and written by Creed Fisher and Zac Stokes.The video was prod...

05/07/2022

On Saturday, May 7 it will be 4 years since Dustin passed away. Join us at the Wapiti Nordic Ski Trails for a day of remembering how incredible he was while raising money for Mental Health in our Community and putting an end to the stigma. If you haven’t already registered, there are only 2 days to go!💛
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/268222078457

04/30/2022

PTSD is not spoken of enough and is a tough thing to deal with. My good friend lost her husband who was an officer today... unexpectedly. Which inspired me to put this message out there. And it may be wierd to put this on a business page, but I believe the message needs to be heard. Our first responders and related personnel deal with such a high volume of unimaginable sights and situations. Then, once they clock out, they are expected to go home and live a normal life. Most people may see one or two gory situations in their lifetime, where as these people see it 1000 times before they retire. Trying to rest at night after working normal job is hard enough, I couldn't imagine trying to sleep after seeing child abuse victims or murdered, burned, dead, abused people. Or even seeing abusers released because someone was afraid to press charges and you can't do anything about it. It has to tear you up inside.

Some may say they signed up for it. Yes. They did. But they are also human. Humans have breaking points. They need support. They need kindness around them. Someone must do the job. And quite frankly our local first responders so an incredible job, from the 911 operators to the responders that show up.

Cleaning up this hotel 7 years ago was challenging and when I took over, the nonsense, violence, drugs that ran this place, our first responders were here so often. It's so very nice to see that now they only have to come for breakfast and lunch.

But when they used to come for real calls, and I've witnessed well over 100 of them, I have to say, from fire to paramedics to police, they've been handled with compassion and understanding. Nothing like the garbage you see on TV. I'm sure there may be a bad apple here and there, but to be fair we all work with one or two in our work places.

Here's the message. Be kind. Nobody wins with hate. Open the door for communication. Tell your loved ones they can talk to you, and really talk to you. If you can tell something's up with your loved one, ask them. Don't be too proud or embarrassed. It could honestly save a life.

As a last note, I know therapy can be tough, hard to approach, expensive and wait times are outrageous. Sometimes we feel like we can't talk to our loved ones or even work partners. Sometimes its easier to vent to a complete stranger in the same field. If our first responders need a space to meet and casually help each other out, chat, offload some weight of their chest, discuss coping mechanisms, whatever... I'd be willing to give up my private dining room on a periodic basis for this purpose, at no cost. If someone would like to lead this group, I'd be open to discussing it. Obviously this would be a dry gathering, and I'm not looking to get paid on this, rather I'm offering this as a service to our first responders community. You know how to get in touch. Don't be shy. The door is open and this could save a life. This is not a professional mental health outreach by any means. But sometimes a friendly casual gathering can make all the difference in the world to someone.

Thank you for what you do.

04/28/2022

Last month, I spoke with Dr. Olivia Johnson, Founder of The Blue Wall Institute. The mission of this organization is to reduce the number of officer su***des by looking at over 50 data points to identify and mitigate the causes of these deaths. This group has identified ten common themes in many officer su***des, and although their work focuses on law enforcement, I believe “The Fatal 10” is transferrable to many emergency worker professions. Dr. Johnson holds a doctorate in Organizational Leadership Management.

The Fatal 10 – Common themes discovered in many cases of officer su***de.
1. Pending/Nearing Retirement
2. Under Investigation
3. Firearm Access
4. Medical issues
5. Interpersonal Relationship Issues
6. Substance Abuse & Addiction
7. Cumulative Trauma & Stress
8. Sleep Disturbances
9. Mental Health Concerns
10. Other Major Life Events/Situation
(more on this data here: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-83974-1 )

Knowing this information, would it not make sense to humanize the human resources of emergency services workers to potentially reduce the risks of su***de? For example, does it make sense to expect recruits to perform like senior members and to expect senior members to behave like recruits? This image is called Meat in a Seat and was created in response to all the comments I’ve received from my peers who feel they are just a number filling a spot in their workplace.

Have a safe week, everyone,

DanSun

04/25/2022

Weight of the CallWritten and performed by serving Canadian First Responder Stirling John from real life experiences on the job. Cause its not a switch that...

04/25/2022

Failure, struggle, setbacks and pain, all nourish and build our courage. You simply can’t be strong or brave if you’ve only had perfect things happen to you. So embrace the day, the challenges, the setbacks - seize it - whatever the day holds - it’s our chance to make progress towards the good stuff. The dawn will always come and light will always win...hold tight… you’ve got this!

04/24/2022

MEDICINE HAT, AB - Chad Kennedy has an intimate awareness of PTSD. As a long-time first responder, Kennedy had...

04/21/2022

"Free to register and no fundraising minimums.” Register Now Donate “FREE TO REGISTER AND NO FUNDRAISING MINIMUMS.” Register Now Donate Saturday, AUGUST 20 – 2022 The Ride for Mental Health brings awareness to the unique mental health needs of our Veterans, First Responders and their familie...