Zebedy Colt said:
Not according to the senior city officials I breifed in your HQ in North York. Vince will also reiterate to you none has existed ever, as this is one of his biggest fights he has been doing, apart from WSIB recognizing OSIs as a legitimate medical injury..
Not to argue with you, Zebedy Colt. Maybe you are right.
I just know what I read in the 2015 City of Toronto Ombudsman's report. That was long after I retired.
http://www.ombudsmantoronto.ca/OmbudsmanToronto/media/Documents/Investigative%20Report/Ombudsman-Report-TPS-November-2015.pdf?ext=.pdf
5.1 The Peer Support Team/Peer Resource Team
The Peer Resource Team has been in existence in some form for approximately 26 years. According to the TPS, it was developed because trained peer counsellors "are able to quickly understand, empathize with, and speak appropriately to the types of calls, the hours of work, and the stress that paramedics and emergency medical dispatchers experience." It was also felt that some employees may be more comfortable first reaching out to a peer for guidance and direction in dealing with stress.
With the second staff psychologist, members of the Peer Resource Team (then Peer Support Team) volunteered to participate in the program. Members were provided with training on how to assess situations, provide initial counselling and guidance to staff in finding appropriate resources for assistance. According to a 2005 document prepared by the TPS, the staff psychologist was responsible for the training and supervision of the 20 members on the Peer Support Team, including approximately 12 hours of training per year for each member.
Toronto EMS Chief Bruce Farr, Staff Report: "Toronto EMS Staff Psychologist Services" presented to the Community Services Committee 21October 2005.
Members of the peer team were also bound by an obligation of confidentiality. A member of the team could not reveal to others about even meeting with a staff member unless permission was provided by the staff member. Exceptions included the requirement to report situations in which there was a concern that an individual may harm him or herself or others or where there was suspected child abuse.
Dr. Gerry Goldberg, Building Resiliency: EMS Stress and the Peer Support Team (unpublished: for internal use by Toronto Paramedic Services) (February 2007).
Over the course of 2011 and 2012, the current staff psychologist undertook a redevelopment of the peer team, resulting in the current Peer Resource Team. The team was reselected and reformulated, involving a number of changes:
A new, standardized selection process, based on anonymous peer nominations and distribution of team members across years of service, shift schedule and employee groups;
Psychological screening of prospective members, as well as a panel interview;
Stringent confidentiality requirements, such as adherence to the College of Psychologists of Ontario confidentiality standards and zero-tolerance for confidentiality breaches;
Standardized psychological training based on industry standards;
Burnout prevention; and
Ongoing supervision and training by the staff psychologist, including routine reporting of services rendered to members to the staff psychologist, on an anonymous basis.
The Peer Resource Team includes both paramedics and dispatchers. They address the spectrum of critical incidents, cumulative stress, as well as other workplace and personal matters. Like the staff psychologist, members of the Peer Resource Team are on call 24/7 for critical incidents and crisis situations on an urgent and as needed basis.
The current Peer Resource Team is a group of 15, including a retired superintendent and a member of the Toronto Fire Services. The majority of the members are paramedics, but there are also some dispatchers, superintendents and one commander.
Each Monday morning, the TPS provides the list of on-call/available peer members for the coming week to all management and supervisor staff as well as superintendents to provide to staff. Employees of the TPS are free to contact members of the Peer Resource Team on their own. Due to recent concerns about difficulties in obtaining contact information for peer members, the TPS is in the process of developing Mental Health and Wellness posters to distribute across ambulance stations and TPS buildings that includes contact information for each member of the Peer Resource Team.
It was abundantly apparent throughout the course of this investigation that the Peer Resource Team is highly regarded, both inside and outside the service. In fact, when we spoke with other paramedic services across Ontario and Canada, many told us that they were modelling their own peer support programs after the model used by the TPS.
One particularly noteworthy point of praise for the Peer Resource Team came from the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General.
In the aftermath of the March 28, 2014 shooting that took place at the Brampton courthouse, members of the peer team along with the staff psychologist provided support to staff at the courthouse at the request of the Ministry. In a letter co-written by the Deputy Attorney General and the Chief Administrative Officer/Assistant Deputy Attorney General, praise was effusive for the team. Comments were made on the quality and levels of support provided in the days following the shooting. The letter noted that: "Our ability to reduce workplace refusals, sick time, and other costs associated with staff anxiety and stress can be directly attributed to the supports received in the days following the event."
Although the Peer Resource Team is widely praised, we were told that there is nothing within the service in the way of protocols, documents, guidelines or policies that govern the team or the role of its members.
I'll tell you a secret. That job was the most fun I had in my entire life.