Broncos crash was ‘too close to home’ for first responders

filled with young hockey players would have hit close to home, Lapchuk said.

“I’m sure that a lot — 90 per cent or better — of our volunteer firefighters in the province either have kids in hockey or have played hockey themselves,” he said. “Saskatchewan is not a real big province. Chances are you’re responding to someone you know, or a family member of someone you know ... I’m not going to say the stress is greater, but it puts an extra level of urgency.”

He said firefighters today are more likely to seek out psychological help on offer.

“The philosophy in fire services is starting to change from, ‘I’m a big tough firefighter. I don’t need help’ to where they are realizing that help is needed,” he said.

Renée Jarvis is president of the Canadian Critical Incident Stress Foundation, a national organization that supports first responders involved in traumatic events.

“Unfortunately there is never a magic eraser that will erase any of these visions or memories that we deal with,” she said.

“The challenge in the coming days, weeks, months, maybe even years is just trying to find a way to process it and to be able to comprehend what has happened and know that they did the best that they could at that particular time.”

John McPhaden, a Tisdale crane operator, was called to the crash scene Friday