Episodes

  • Ep 22: Private, Practical, Proven: Accessible Mental Health for First Responders (PSPNet Explained)

    Ep 22: Private, Practical, Proven: Accessible Mental Health for First Responders (PSPNet Explained)
    Apr 28 2026
    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 confidential, self-directed, internet-delivered therapy tailored specifically to the realities of frontline work. No employer involvement. No waiting rooms. No requirement to be “ready” to talk face-to-face. In this conversation, we cover: • What PSPNet is and how it works • Who it’s designed for, including […]
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    26 mins
  • Ep 21: The Weight of the Work: Dispatch, Distress & Recovery (Part 2 of 2)

    Ep 21: The Weight of the Work: Dispatch, Distress & Recovery (Part 2 of 2)
    Apr 17 2026
    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 of operational stress injuries, and the challenges of accessing meaningful support. You’ll hear discussion of suicide exposure within communications centres, repetition trauma, nervous system overload, the frequency of mental health-related calls, and the lasting operational impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The conversation also examines what […]
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    1 hr and 16 mins
  • Ep 20: The Toll of the Tones: Truths of 911 Dispatch (Part 1 of 2)

    Ep 20: The Toll of the Tones: Truths of 911 Dispatch (Part 1 of 2)
    Apr 14 2026
    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 constant multitasking, to scene visualization, risk assessment, and the responsibility of managing responder safety from behind the headset, this episode explores the operational reality of a role with no pause button and no margin for error. You’ll also hear about the “dispatcher ear,” the impact […]
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    45 mins
  • Ep 19: First Responder Families: Separation, Healing & Life After Crisis (part 2 with Parul Shah)

    Ep 19: First Responder Families: Separation, Healing & Life After Crisis (part 2 with Parul Shah)
    Apr 7 2026
    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 her own life as the spouse of a police officer, Parul speaks candidly about separation, the complexity of co-parenting, and the lasting impact of trauma on children and family systems. In this episode, we explore: • Why communication breaks down in high-stress households • The […]
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    58 mins
  • Ep 18: First Responder Families: Stress, Warning Signs & Life at Home (Part 1 with Parul Shah)

    Ep 18: First Responder Families: Stress, Warning Signs & Life at Home (Part 1 with Parul Shah)
    Mar 31 2026
    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 than two decades of experience in mental health, including work in child protection and trauma-informed psychotherapy. She also brings lived experience as the spouse of a police officer and member of a first responder family for more than twenty-four years. Together we explore: • How […]
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    1 hr and 7 mins
  • #17 - North of Normal: Fighting Fire in the Far North (Part 2)

    #17 - North of Normal: Fighting Fire in the Far North (Part 2)
    Mar 24 2026
    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 firefighter Jason Panter and his wife, Helen. With a population of just over 2,000 people, Fort Smith depends heavily on volunteer responders. When the pager goes off, firefighters leave their regular jobs, their families, and whatever else is happening in their lives to help neighbours […]
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    54 mins
  • #16 - North of Normal: Becoming A Northern Firefighting Family

    #16 - North of Normal: Becoming A Northern Firefighting Family
    Mar 17 2026
    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 people. When the pager goes off in a place like Fort Smith, firefighters leave their jobs, their families, and whatever they were doing to respond to neighbours in crisis. With limited resources and vast distances between communities, volunteer departments in the North rely heavily on […]
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    27 mins
  • #15 - Hidden in Plain Sight: The Research Behind Military & First Responder Families in Canada

    #15 - Hidden in Plain Sight: The Research Behind Military & First Responder Families in Canada
    Mar 10 2026
    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 Queen’s University-based network supporting military, Veteran, first responder, and public safety families across Canada. Together, we explore: • What “Garnet Family” means and why naming matters • How service becomes a family lifestyle, not just a job • Why families are often treated as risk […]
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    1 hr and 4 mins