When we first started planning our issue on health and safety, we thought each story would easily fall under one category or the other. But what soon became clear was that the lines between health and safety are blurred. In fact, they're often one and the same.
For our cover, Patricia Vasylchuk spoke to employees in New Brunswick, the first province to pilot the RCMP's Road to Mental Readiness course in 2013.
Although first viewed with skepticism, the course is now being used by officers and employees as a way to share difficult experiences and negative feelings with someone else. "It's not the dungeon that no one talks about anymore," as one officer explains about her grief.
For officers who've been through a critical incident like a shooting, returning to operational duty can take time. Paul Northcott writes about a program in Alberta that helps police officers safely reintegrate back to work and regain their confidence at their own pace.
Police work doesn't need to be traumatic to be stressful. During last summer's wildfires in British Columbia, hundreds of RCMP members were again deployed to the fire zone to evacuate communities. You'll read how, this time around, two teams of peer-to-peer officers drove across the province to help the helpers, either by taking care of their families left behind or finding officers mental-health support.
We also look at the connection between physical fitness and mental health. Employees in New Brunswick use group workouts as a weapon against fatigue and illness, and to boost their confidence and social interactions — all recipes for health and safety at home and in the field.
Have you ever wondered what the most common officer and employee workplace injuries are? Read about the steps for preventing those under your control.
Getting behind the wheel is one of the most dangerous things an officer will do on shift. For our panel discussion, read what four RCMP experts say are the biggest dangers officers face in and around their cars, and how to reduce the risk of injury.
Taking precautions such as these is part of police work. Our story on the safe handling of fentanyl shows that RCMP officers are doing the right things when faced with this hazardous substance: wearing gloves and washing their hands. Learn more about opioid exposure and the RCMP use of naloxone in its first year.
We close the issue with a story that speaks to finding hope after tragedy. A summer camp for the children and spouses of officers who died in the line of duty, suddenly or by suicide, gives them a way to stay connected with others who understand their loss.
There's no separating health and safety, and there's no need to. If we take care of one, we'll improve the other.