Sault paramedics, emergency services undergo suicide prevention training
Sault Ste. Marie paramedics are the latest group of emergency service personnel in the city to undergo a program that helps workers identify those dealing with suicidal thoughts.
Paramedics wrapped up training last week on a suicide prevention program, aimed at giving emergency workers the proper tools to help people in crisis.
"Over the last year, we've had approximately 1,000 calls that were related to behavioural or psychiatric-type complaints," said Dan Langevin, deputy paramedics chief.
"I can't pinpoint exactly how many of those were for suicide, but there definitely were quite a number of them, for sure."
Langevin said suicide prevention training helps paramedics refine the tools that they've learned on the job.
"It's certainly a lot easier to identify a broken arm or leg," he said. "But with suicide, it's something that, it does take some time to discuss that with the patient, being able to have those tools and feel comfortable in having that discussion with them and hopefully then, they can decrease their crisis and bring them down."
Other emergency service personnel in the city have also undergone similar training in the past few months.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs forward William Nylander sits out 3rd straight game to open the playoffs
Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander sat out his third straight game to open the playoffs Wednesday night because of an undisclosed injury.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.