After the Sirens: Difference between revisions

| director = [[Kevin Eastwood]]

| producer = [[Kevin Eastwood]]<br />Jason James<br/>

'''''After the Sirens''''' is a 2018 Canadian documentary television program about the epidemic of [[Post-Traumaticposttraumatic Stressstress Disorderdisorder|post-traumatic stress disorder]] among [[paramedics]]. It consists of interviews with emergency medical workers and mental health experts as well as dramatic re-creations of emergency calls experienced by the interview subjects. It was directed by [[Kevin Eastwood]] and produced and commissioned by the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] for the ''Docs POV'' television program.

The documentary recounts the stories of three paramedics who suffered [[Psychological trauma|traumatic]] incidents during the course of their careers and subsequently developed symptoms of [[post-traumatic stress disorder]], including [[severe depression]] and [[substance abuse]]. Experts cite statistics and research showing paramedics to be at particular risk for PTSD and [[suicide]] and discuss the bureaucratic roadblocks faced by paramedics who attempt to seek treatment.

On February 7, 2019, theThe film was nominated for a 2019 [[Canadian Screen Awards|Canadian Screen Award]] for Best Documentary Program by the [[Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television]]. at the 2019 [[Canadian Screen Awards]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Canadian Screen Awards: 2019 Nominees|date=7 February 2019 |url=https://www.academy.ca/2019/after-the-sirens/ |publisher=Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television |accessdateaccess-date=7 February 2019}}</ref> Best Documentary (Social/Political) at the [[Yorkton Film Festival#Golden Sheaf Awards|Yorkton Golden Sheaf Awards]],<ref>{{cite web|title=2019 Yorkton Film Festival - Golden Sheaf Awards|url=http://yorktonfilm.com/2019-winners-nominees/}}</ref> five [[Leo Awards]] (including Best Short Documentary and Best Direction, winning for Best Cinematography and Best Score) and won the Mindset Award for Workplace Mental Health Reporting at the 2019 [[Canadian Association of Journalists#Awards|CAJ]] Awards.<ref>{{cite web|title=English and French journalists win media prizes for work revealing suicide crisis among Canada's paramedics|url=https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/english-and-french-journalists-win-media-prizes-for-work-revealing-suicide-crisis-among-canada-s-paramedics-878613244.html}}</ref>

* Clive Derbyshire is a paramedic based in [[Vancouver, British Columbia]], Canada. He works in [[Downtown Eastside]], a Neighbourhood whose residents have a disproportionately high rate of [[homelessness]], mental health problems, and [[addictions]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Regional Mental Health & Addiction Program |url=http://www.health.gov.bc.ca/library/publications/year/2013/improving-severe-addiction-and-mental-illness-services.pdf |publisher=Vancouver Coastal Health |accessdateaccess-date=3 August 2018}}</ref> He believes his PTSD derives from his experience responding to a motor vehicle accident incident in which a close friend died.

* Natalie Harris is a retired paramedic from [[Barrie, Ontario]], who cites treating, and later encountering in court, [multiple-murderer Mark Dobson as the source of her PTSD,<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.thestar.com/news/crime/2015/01/15/man-guilty-of-murdering-two-women-in-barrie-in-satanic-suicide-pact.html| multiple-murderertitle Mark= Dobson]Man asguilty theof sourcemurdering oftwo herwomen PTSD,in Barrie in Satanic suicide pact {{!}} The Star| website = [[Toronto Star]]| date = 15 January 2015}}</ref> which sparked addictions to alcohol and prescription drugs.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Myers |first1=Bryan |title=Simcoe County paramedic Natalie Harris featured in PTSD doc |url=https://www.simcoe.com/news-story/8370448-simcoe-county-paramedic-natalie-harris-featured-in-ptsd-doc/ |publisher=Barrie Advance |accessdateaccess-date=3 August 2018}}</ref>

* Don Devine was among the first Canadians to train as a paramedic<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ladouceur |first1=Dan |title=History of Paramedicine |url=https://www.ottawaparamedics.ca/before-9-1-1/history-of-paramedicine |publisher=Professional Paramedic Association of Ottawa |accessdateaccess-date=3 August 2018}}</ref> in the 1970s. He worked in the [[Vernon, British Columbia]] region and in 1996 responded to the scene of the massacre of the Ghakal family,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Handschuh |first1=Darren |title=A heavy price to pay |url=https://www.castanet.net/news/Vernon/223039/A-heavy-price-to-pay |publisher=Castanet |accessdateaccess-date=3 August 2018}}</ref>, after which he developed symptoms of PTSD.

* Cheryl Drewitz-Cheney is a former nurse and the author of the study “Posttraumatic Stress Disorder among ParamedicsParamedics”.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Drewitz-Chesney |first1=Cheryl |title=Posttraumatic Stress Disorder among Paramedics |journal=Workplace Health & Safety |date=1 June 2012 |volume=60 |issue=6 |pages=257–63 |doi=10.1177/216507991206000605|pmid=22624848 |s2cid=73279443 |doi-access=free }}</ref>”. She has studied the high incidents of addiction, suicide, PTSD, and related conditions among first responders.

Director Kevin Eastwood initially met Derbyshire during the filming of [[Knowledge Network]]’s factual series [[Emergency Room: Life + Death at VGH]]. In an interview with a Vancouver Sun reporter, Eastwood said, "I didn’t know him well, but I knew him by face and we had been friendly in the emergency room. I had always seen him as being this charismatic, attractive, really good at his job, really confident, good paramedic. To learn what he was actually struggling with on the inside, well, I had no idea."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gee |first1=Dana |title=New CBC Docs POV looks at what's ailing those who are helping |url=https://vancouversun.com/entertainment/local-arts/new-cbc-docs-pov-looks-at-whats-ailing-those-who-are-helping |publisher=Vancouver Sun |accessdateaccess-date=3 August 2018}}</ref>

The documentary aired on CBC Television on April 8, 2018 but was pre-empted in some provinces by the broadcast of the [[Humboldt Broncos bus crash|HumboltHumboldt Broncos vigil]]. CBC aired the program in the rest of Canada on April 9.

Three days after the initial broadcast, the [[BC NDP|NDP Government]] announced Bill 9 – 2018: Workers Compensation Amendment Act, which included changes to [[WorkSafeBC|Worksafe]] regulations. Prior to this change, BC first-responders who developed PTSD were required to prove to Worksafe BC that their condition was related to their work to receive the benefits associated with work-related injuries. If the legislation is approved, the [[Burden of proof (law)|burden of proof]] would not fall upon the first-responders, making it easier for PTSD sufferers to access benefits and treatment options.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kerr |first1=Jessica |title=New legislation tackles mental health of first responders |url=https://www.vancourier.com/news/new-legislation-tackles-mental-health-of-first-responders-1.23263633 |publisher=Vancouver Courier |accessdateaccess-date=3 August 2018}}</ref>

British Columbia MLA [[Andrew Weaver]] summarized the change: "This bill updates the Workers Compensation Act for eligible occupations (corrections officer, an emergency medical assistant, a firefighter, a police officer, a sheriff or other as prescribed by regulation) who are exposed to one or more traumatic events over the course of their employment and are subsequently diagnosed with a mental disorder. The disorder will be presumed to have been caused by the nature of their work rather than having to prove that it was work-related. British Columbia is one of the last such jurisdictions in Canada to have such legislation."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Weaver |first1=Andrew |title=Bill 9: The Workers Compensation Amendment Act, 2018 |date=16 April 2018 |url=http://www.andrewweavermla.ca/2018/04/16/bill-9-workers-compensation-amendment-act-2018/ |accessdateaccess-date=3 August 2018}}</ref>

[[Category:Canadian documentary television films]]

[[Category:Documentary films about healthpost-traumatic carestress disorder]]

[[Category:Documentary2018 films about mental health]]

[[Category:Documentary2018 documentary films about posttraumatic stress disorder]]

[[Category:CanadianCBC Television original films]]