First Responder Wellness (101)

This First Responder Wellness 101 program, developed by the Alberta Municipal Health and Safety Association (AMHSA) with the support of the Government of Alberta, is intended to help address the mental health and wellness challenges the First Responder community faces while carrying out its jobs.

The program is an online awareness course. Each of these program elements has been developed with the direct involvement of veteran First Responders who understand the mental health risks and challenges their peers face both on and off shift.

This program is intended to promote First Responder Wellness, provide education and awareness about how to support mental and health wellness in your department, and gain insight into the resources that are available. Within the First Responder community, potential participants in this program can include all operational members, dispatch, administrative and support staff as well as members of the First Responder’s family.

The online awareness course portion of the program covers the following topics:

• Awareness of psychological health and wellness
• The stigma around mental health
• The impact First Responder work can have on mental wellness
• Strategies to build resiliency
• Signs of when help is needed in oneself or in a peer
• Resources available to the First Responder community

Online Course: Approximately 75 minutes

Testing conducted throughout this online course is designed to reinforce the information presented. A mark of 80% must be achieved in order to pass this course. The course is able to be taken three times in efforts to achieve the pass mark. Printable resources are available in the form of a comprehensive student manual. The manual is a valuable resource for future use and knowledge retention.

Upon successful completion of this online course, a certificate of completion will be available for download and printing. This course is recommended to be retaken every 3 years from the course completion date indicated on the certificate.