Public safety workers find mental health help in non-profit peer support group

When Alex Milonas began his career as a firefighter, he was taught ways to avoid physical injuries on the job, but trainers and managers didn’t talk about mental health injuries.

“There is no preparation from the school side of things for any traumatic incidents you may see. They just tell you that it’s going to be part of your job, not how to handle it,” Milonas said. 

After five years of working shifts on the job, the 34-year-old found himself losing sleep and struggling to manage stress. There was also a stigma against talking about mental health, he recalls. 

“A lot of people probably don’t understand that it’s a very difficult thing to talk about, mental health. It’s a lot easier to talk about when your leg hurts or your back hurts.”

A visit to the fire hall by representatives of River Valley Resilience Retreat helped him reach out, he said.

“The retreat for me was a good thing, to have that outreach where it’s ‘You’re not alone, we are all dealing with something and you can’t be afraid to talk about it.'”

The organization is a non-profit peer support network that helps public safety workers with operational stress injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Peer support group sessions offer a safe space to share experiences and gain insight into treatment options. The peer network helps clients connect with mental health professionals and explore holistic practices, coping strategies and lifestyle changes.

“Our core demographic that we serve at River Valley would be public safety personnel, which is a very large definition in itself, like frontline responders, police, EMS, corrections, health-care workers,” said co-founder Jeff Reeder, a former firefighter.

“That includes tow operators, journalists, any frontline staff that would be exposed to trauma through their work. Also veterans, military personnel.”

Reeder said call volumes for first responders have increased over the last 15 to 20 years, as has the number of workers struggling with operational stress.

First responders need to be aware of the signs and symptoms of operational stress; early intervention is key to helping people manage exposure to trauma, he said.

“We’re seeing that there’s much more need for it, and to focus more so on the accumulation stuff as it occurs and actually dealing with it as it occurs, and not waiting until you have a diagnosed injury which is harder to treat.”

Health Canada estimates PTSD affects about nine per cent of Canadians at some point in their lives. Among first responders, it’s much higher — 44 per cent.

Reeder said RVRR had 2,202 client interactions in 2022, then 2,422 in 2023. The number jumped to 2,612 in 2024. As of October, it had 2,321 client interactions in 2025. The total number for the year is expected to exceed 2,800.

The retreat is located on a 25-acre property south of Prince Albert, Sask. It includes five cabins for those in need of respite. 

“The goal of the retreat is to have a safe place for people to come to when they are experiencing stress or maybe have experienced a traumatic incident and they may not know where to turn to or what resources to access,” Reeder said.

Retired police officer Warren Nagy said peer counseling has helped him deal with recurring PTSD, which started early in his career after attending a fire scene where four people died.

“I’ve had another re-injury of my trauma recently and right now, it’s not good. My nervous system, very short fuse,” he said.

He’s tried different forms of counselling and treatments, but some symptoms still remain. After two weeks using a therapy chair, he’s sleeping better and his attention span has improved, he said.

“My mind doesn’t wander off mid-sentence.”

RVRR runs in-person peer support group meetings in Prince Albert and Martensville. First responders can also contact the group through its website.