The Other Side Of

Where do first responders actually go for support when they’re not ready, or not willing, to sit across from a therapist? In this resource-focused episode, we sit down with Dr. Heather Hadjistavropoulos, Executive Director of PSPNet, to explore a different approach to mental health care for public safety personnel. PSPNet is a Canadian program offering […]

In part two of this National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week roundtable, the conversation shifts from what dispatch is to what it can do to the people doing it. Featuring dispatchers from police, fire, and paramedic services across Canada and the United States, this episode explores the cumulative impact of repeated exposure to crisis, the realities […]

In recognition of National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, this special roundtable brings together dispatchers from police, fire, and paramedic services across Canada and the United States. With decades of combined experience, this conversation breaks down what 911 dispatch actually is, what it requires in real time, and why it’s often misunderstood. From cognitive overload and […]

First responder work does not stay at the station, the hall, the hospital, the prison, or the dispatch centre. It comes home. In Part Two of this conversation, psychotherapist and doctoral candidate Parul Shah returns to explore what happens when the pressure inside first responder families becomes too much to carry. Drawing from both clinical experience and […]

First responder work does not stay at the station, the hospital, or the dispatch center. It comes home. In this first part of a two-part conversation, trauma therapist and doctoral candidate Parul Shah joins The Other Side of the Call to talk about the often-unseen impact of first responder work on families. Parul brings more […]

What does it mean to fight fire in a place where everyone knows everyone, resources are stretched, and you may be on call any time you are in town? In Episode 17 of The Other Side of the Call, we return to Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, for Part 2 of our conversation with longtime volunteer […]

What does firefighting look like in a town where everyone is a volunteer? In Episode 16 of The Other Side of the Call, we travel to Fort Smith in Canada’s Northwest Territories to speak with longtime volunteer firefighter Jason and his wife Helen about life and emergency response in a northern community of just over 2,000 […]

Families connected to military, Veteran, and public safety service carry responsibilities that often go unseen. Shift work, mobility, operational stress, caregiving demands, and identity strain shape family life long before crisis ever occurs. In this episode, we sit down in studio at CFRC with Dr. Heidi Cramm and Lisa Delaney of Garnet Families, a national […]

In this episode, we sit down with Jason MacKenzie, the husband of OPP Constable Cindy MacKenzie, who died by suicide while serving. Rather than revisiting institutional failures of the past, this conversation focuses on institutional learning and progress. Jason reflects on the personal realities of loss, parenting, and survival, while also discussing recent outreach from […]

Today we’re at CFB Kingston with Lt. Col. Steve Boychyn of Wounded Warriors Canada. Wounded Warriors Canada offers trauma and resiliency programs across the country. For clarity and length, today we’re focusing on six of their key programs — each serving a different stage of service or a different group of people. Here’s how today’s […]

Michael Laughlin had already fought his way back more than once, but then, a motorcycle accident changed everything again. In Part II of Mind Over Fire, Michael speaks candidly about the aftermath of losing his leg, the physical and emotional realities of starting over, and the slow work of redefining strength when the old measures […]

Early in his career, Kingston firefighter Michael Laughlin was seriously injured in a snowmobile accident that threatened not just his physical recovery, but his place in the fire service itself. In Part I of Mind Over Fire, Michael walks us through his younger years, the realities of recovering from a major injury in a profession […]

Shaun Taylor is a working Ontario paramedic and the co-founder, alongside Jill Foster, of #IGYB911, one of Canada’s most recognizable and trusted grassroots peer support movements for first responders. In this episode of The Other Side of the Call, Shaun joins hosts Amelia Thornton, Rebecca Rafuse, and Kathy-Ann Laman for an honest, trauma-informed conversation about […]

A trauma-informed conversation on stress injuries, nervous-system regulation and the power of nature-based recovery,

As Fire 52 intensified near Hay River in the Northwest Territories, evacuation orders were issued and Highway 2 became a narrow, smoke-filled corridor of stalled vehicles, poor visibility, and rapidly changing fire behaviour. In this mini-episode, Franco Nogarin, a Forest Planning Officer and Wildfire Modeller with the Government of the Northwest Territories, reads his unedited […]

In Part II of this deep and honest conversation, psychotherapist Brittnee Stewart takes us further inside the world of EMDR, low-dose ketamine work, and trauma integration. If you’ve ever wondered why certain therapies work when others don’t, or why first responders often hit a wall in traditional talk therapy, this episode pulls back the curtain. […]

When the nervous system holds the story, healing has to start deeper than words. In this episode of The Other Side of the Call, our hosts sit down in studio with Brittnee Stewart, psychotherapist and co-founder of Spear Wellness in Kingston, Ontario – a multi-disciplinary clinic offering trauma-focused therapy, EMDR, and emerging psychedelic-assisted treatments. Together, […]

Career paramedic Jessica Vanderhoek has lived both sides of the job: the pride of service and the private cost. After years of high-acuity calls, insomnia, migraines, anger, alcohol misuse, and a brutal relapse, she hit the wall and looked for what actually heals. Her path led through equine therapy and carefully screened psychedelic work, then […]

Decorated tactical paramedic Steve Urszenyi turned decades of frontline trauma into award-nominated thrillers. In this conversation, he reflects on a lifetime of crisis leadership – from commanding Ontario’s Emergency Response Team to managing the 2015 Pan Am Games – and how creativity became his path to healing.

When retired Master Warrant Officer John Blaine finally looked in the mirror and decided to ask for help, it wasn’t a sign of weakness — it was the turning point of a lifetime spent in service. In this Remembrance Day special, John reflects on four decades in uniform: from Cyprus and Germany to Afghanistan’s Operation […]

This week, The Other Side of the Call sits down with Don E. Devine, one of Canada’s earliest paramedics and a pioneer of ambulance service in British Columbia. From the early days when funeral homes doubled as ambulances to the 1996 Vernon mass-casualty call that scarred an entire responder community, Don’s career charts both the rise of […]

After more than 30 years with Peel Regional Police, Constable Dave McLennan retired but wasn’t done service. He founded Boots On The Ground, a 24/7 volunteer-powered peer support line for first responders. What began as ten to twenty calls a month has grown to more than 150 monthly, with over 4,700 calls answered and 51 […]

Coming November 4, 2025 – Stories of trauma, resilience, and recovery from Canada’s first responders, frontline members, and military personnel. Hosted by former 911 dispatcher Amelia Thornton and psychotherapists Rebecca Rafuse and Kathy Ann Laman.