Challenges for those on frontline

It’s been a horrific two months for Geraldton — not just for families and friends, but for the police and emergency services on the frontline.

These are the people who have had to inform grieving families of eight deaths in that time.

Roadwise chairman, City councillor and retired police officer Bob Hall said the combination of witnessing unsettling events and having to be the bearers of tragic news “without doubt” had an impact on the lives of servicemen and women.

Mr Hall began his career as a policeman in Albany in 1975, working for five years before moving to Perth for a further five years.

In 1985, he moved to Geraldton, where he spent the remainder of his career until his retirement in 2012.

“Our job is to save lives and when you see them needlessly taken through discriminate acts of violence and aggression and fundamental mistakes in driving practices, all you can think is this didn’t need to happen, ” Mr Hall said.

“The hardest part is dealing with the family and thinking, I really don’t want to have to do this but I’m the only one legitimately able to do it.

“How best do you impart this news?

“Someone is going to have the greatest tragedy bestowed upon them.”

According to the International Self-Harm Fact Sheet, which is based on coronial cases around Australia, 110 police officers, paramedics and firefighters died by suicide between July 2000 and December 2012.

Of the total 110 deaths, 62 cases involved police officers, 26 were paramedics and 22 involved firefighters.

According to the fact-sheet, one police officer, paramedic or firefighter takes their life every six weeks because of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Mr Hall urged the officers and emergency workers involved in the events over the past two months to seek counselling and appropriate services.

“I’d be fully supportive of them and strongly advocate they take full advantage of all those services to help them work their way through this, ” he said.

“In this day and age, you definitely need all those support facilities.

“Service personnel including ambulance workers, firefighters and police officers not only deal with the primary issues and live through it a first time, but are having to follow up on information and piece together what happened so they’re reliving this scene over and over.”

Mr Hall said the trauma experienced by servicemen and women could greatly diminish if they didn’t have to attend such horrific scenes.

He urged people to be more mindful when driving as well as remembering to use a seatbelt and not answering the phone while on the road.

According to the Road Safety Commission of WA, there have been 52 fatal car accidents in regional WA as at August 17.

“My wife will tell you I’m the worst driver because I don’t talk while I’m driving.

“ I’m focused on what the task is at hand and that’s what you should be doing, ” Mr Hall said.

“It only takes seven-tenths of one second to die in a serious crash.

“People need to tighten up and be more mindful of their driving practices, understand we all use those roads and have due regard to the safety of the people in your car and other road users.

“While it’s an absolute must to have the capacity to get around because of our distance factors in this country, it comes with a challenge.

“We really have to be focused on what we’re doing.”

If you or someone you know is thinking of suicide, phone Lifeline on 13 11 14.