A paramedic from Lévis sends a real cry from the heart for his profession, which is more or less in the process of self-destruction, he believes, because of the difficult working conditions.
Olivier Lafrenière, paramedic since 2003, believes that he and his colleagues face a general lack of consideration for the prehospital system. This is in addition to the difficult working conditions repeatedly denounced by the workers and which have worsened with the lack of staff.
“There are so many work stoppages, depression. I was part of it, he says. Many of my colleagues are suffering, becoming increasingly impoverished and falling from exhaustion, denounces Mr. Lafrenière. We are paying the price of our health,” he added in an interview with the Journal.
He decided to confide and publish an open letter on social networks “because I got there”, says Olivier Lafrenière without hesitation. He specifies that this is not a trade union approach, whereas the debate on the working conditions of paramedics regularly makes the headlines.
calls for help
On his cell phone, he cautiously shows text messages where a colleague says he tried to take his own life a few days ago. Another – also from another ambulance company – was saved in extremis from irreparable damage recently.
“It’s the kind of messages that I receive more and more often”, drops the one who works today for Dessercom.
He himself lived through a long period of distress before making the difficult leap to a help resource, La Vigile. It was his birthday.
“The greatest gift,” confides Olivier, who stayed there last fall.
He is keen to point out that his employer has the best employee assistance program they possibly can provide.
“But it’s really not enough,” he laments. He points the finger at the provincial government, which partially funds private ambulance companies.
Impact on succession
He and his colleagues also benefit from excellent group insurance which, however, is costly to them. And a work stoppage has an impact on wages, which can put some people off asking for help. Aged 45, Mr. Lafrenière also notes that the next generation is already talking regarding leaving the profession at the start of their career.
“Young people, we have no difficulty hiring them, we have difficulty keeping them,” he explains.
Paramedics should have salaries and conditions comparable to other emergency professions, argues Olivier Lafrenière.
“Salary recognition does not prevent exposure to dramatic calls, but it recognizes the scar it leaves on our lives,” he wrote in his letter shared on social media.
In his wildest dreams, he likes to say, the paramedic would like to meet the Prime Minister François Legault and the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, to communicate to them his cry from the heart.
“If I manage to touch the heart of a person who has decision-making powers, I will have succeeded,” he concludes.
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►Suicide prevention line: 1-866-APPELLE or suicide.ca
