Emergency workers need to be better prepared for the challenges of the job to prevent post-traumatic stress disorder after responding to emergencies, an Australian report on mental health reveals.
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The report, launched on Thursday by Victoria Police and 20 other organisations, comes after a roundtable discussion at Australian Federal Police headquarters in 2017 into ways to improve first responders' mental health.
It makes 31 recommendations to better manage the mental health risks of police, ambulance, fire services and defence force, including reviewing how recruits are screened so they are aware of the mental health risks of the job.
Victorian Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton, who took time off last year due to fatigue-related illness, said members of the force had been left broken in the past, with little regard taken for their mental health.
"We haven't got this right for many decades and there's a lot of people out there who are still hurting," he told 3AW.
"Some of the stuff they've had to go through ... without the resilience training, we have broken a lot of people. We've got to try to work out ways that we can't leave that group behind."
It was ingrained in police culture not to reach out for help but that was changing with recruits now being given mental health and resilience training, Mr Ashton added.
The report recommendations include training on trauma-related stress, including how to recognise it in oneself and others, regular scheduled downtime and the introduction of a presumption in workers' compensation laws.
The report notes there are "many reported deficiencies" in making sure affected workers get the right treatment.
It says each organisation should have clear protocols on how to get help and also keep a registry of doctors and specialists with appropriate qualifications and experience.
The report found Australia's response to PTSD in emergency workers lacks a "coordinated and consistently evidence-based approach".
A national approach was needed to share information and improve understanding of the issue among politicians and the public, but this "should not be seen as the first and only step".
"While a coordinated national strategy might be the gold standard, in the real world a national strategy does not necessarily bring about change on the ground," the report states.
It called on individual emergency service organisations to pave the way forward and while many had started to address the issues, "much remains to be done".
"The community owes these men and women a huge debt. We expect them to be ready and available at all times day and night and in all circumstances."
Australian Associated Press
