FORT McMURRAY — Keyano College has received provincial funding to study the mental health impacts on first responders who serve during natural disasters in their own communities.
The funding comes through the Alberta government’s First Responders’ Mental Health grant and will support research focused on the Wood Buffalo region.
The college’s Office of Research and Innovation will lead the study, examining how responding to emergencies close to home can affect post traumatic stress among local responders.
The project is led by Maike Schmieding, research chair for Northern Community Sustainability, who said locally informed research is critical.
“When disasters happen there, it’s often our own friends and neighbours who step in to respond,” Schmieding said in a news release. “Local context matters in research. It allows us to better reflect the experiences of those who serve their own communities. Our first responders have unique experiences that deserve to be studied in their own context.”
Schmieding is joined by Dr. Jane Barter, a registered social worker and former firefighter, and Dale Bendfeld, who has responded to disasters with the Canadian Army and the RCMP, including the 2016 Horse River wildfire and the 2020 Fort McMurray flood.
The study, titled Ground Zero RMWB, will include past and current Wood Buffalo residents who acted in a first responding capacity during local disasters. Participants do not need to have held formal first responder roles, as researchers say many residents stepped into emergency roles during past crises.
“During emergencies, roles are not always clearly defined,” Schmieding said. “We heard many stories of people stepping into first responding roles outside of their usual jobs, and we want to hear from them as well.”
The grant marks Keyano College’s first research project grant secured by Schmieding and follows a separate $750,000 NSERC funded research program on human sustainability in the North.
Keyano College serves students at its Clearwater Campus and Suncor Energy Industrial Centre in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, offering programs ranging from trades to health, business and Indigenous education.
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