Presentation: Frontline Forward Research Study
In times of distress, uniformed first responders (UFRs) are the first formal line of care on scene and are responsible for providing care. Due to the obligations required of UFRs, they are considered to be at higher risk for experiencing traumatic stressors that may lead to concerns with their mental well-being (such as depression, alcoholism, post-traumatic stress, major depression, generalized anxiety, and sleep disorders) (Benedek et al., 2007; Fullerton et al., 2004; Jacobson et al., 2008; Meyer et al., 2012). This work employed the concept of redress ¬– the idea of resisting, restoring, repairing, or reconciling – (similar to Amighetti & Nuti, 2015; Henderson & Wakeham, 2013; Spiga, 2012) to address: (1) parts of institutional culture that UFRs that perpetuate toxic resilience, (2) the lack of mental health care relations and support that exist within UFR cultures, and (3) the need for leisure spaces of care, compassion, and healing. Using the methodological framework of critical participatory action research (PAR) and narrative inquiry (Clandinin, 2016), this research was completed in collaboration with a local wellness center built for and by UFRs to offer wellness-based services in Southern Ontario. Taking up narrative storytelling methods (i.e., focus groups and interviews), 11 first responder participants (six police officers, four paramedics, and one corrections officer) were recruited to share their lived experiences. Conversations were centered around how first responders navigate the power relations that are a part of their employment (Foucault, 1977), are trained to adhere to a militant, pre-mediated habitus (Bourdieu, 1990), and are in positions to perform the expectations assigned to the uniform (Butler, 1990).
The purpose of this presentation will be to hold space for a high-level discussion of the findings of this work and offer policy-level and theoretical/methodological-level recommendations and supports that can be taken up in future praxis-based considerations. Through a reflexive, interpretive analysis (Smith et al.,1999), this presentation will unpack the three main threads that were identified as making up the material and symbolic constructs of the UFR uniform including: (1) relations of power that are a part of UFR employment, (2) the pre-mediated habitus perpetuated within UFR cultures, and (3) the directive performances expected of UFRs. A re-dressing of the identified threads is then offered as an opportunity to better understand the role leisure – conceptualized as a space for emotional coping towards restoration — can play for first responders as they mentally/emotionally cope with the demands and expectations of their duties. The intention of this work, and presentation, aims to make the case for how leisure as care, healing, and restoration can be used to begin to mend the broken systemic relations for UFRs and the public, as all persons are in need of care in our badly fractured care and justice systems.