Thursday was Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Day

North Bay Fire Chief Jason Whiteley is welcoming the fact that awareness around Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is growing.

Thursday was Ontario’s first PTSD Awareness Day.

Whiteley says emergency personnel are ‘society’s secret keepers’ and they’re being impacted by situations on the job.

“This is great for people, society, to look up and say we have these men and women out there every day protecting us and their morals, their psyche is being impacted and occasionally it becomes too much, for a short time, for people to handle,” he says.

He says there are supports available.

“Within the fire department we have a peer support team, we’re also a part of the North Bay-Nipissing Critical Incident Stress Team,” Whiteley says.

He also says the city has a program available to all municipal employees, too.

Check out the full story on BayToday.ca

(File photo by station staff)