The city of Greater Sudbury has an opening in its community safety department and is looking for a candidate with four legs and fur.
On Feb. 17, the emergency services committee voted in favour of taking the next steps in the application process to acquire a community safety facility dog that will serve as a mental health support for paramedics and fire services employees.
It can take up to two years to acquire a facility dog, with the process being dependent on the availability of a trained dog and establishing the service guidelines to put the program into place.
Startup costs for the facility dog are in the range of $10,000, which includes the mandatory training for the handlers established by the National Service Dogs and the equipment for the dog when at the primary or secondary handlers' residence or within the community safety facility.
The initial startup cost will be covered by the one-time funding provided by the Province for Psychological Mental Health Programs to address OSI to First Responders.
An average facility dog tends to be a large breed dog, weighing around 70 lbs. and annual costs ring in at around $5,000 which includes food, veterinary bills and grooming. Startup costs can be covered by provincial funding and ongoing costs would be shared within the community safety operating budget.
"Over the past number of years the community safety department has implemented a number of initiatives to assist our frontline staff in developing their personal resiliency against occupational stress injuries," said Paul Kadwell, deputy chief of paramedic services.
Over the past two years WSIB costs related to psychological related to psychological claims by community safety staff have added up to more than $1 million and the community safety department has been exploring different programs to provide preventative mental health support to reduce WSIB costs.
"The facility dog acts as an icebreaker for difficult conversations and provides a healthy and positive distraction for upsetting matters," said Kadwell.
Research by UCLA Health confirmed that “interaction with a therapy dog provides both a mental and physical health benefit”.
The research also indicates that “humans interacting with animals have found that petting the animal promoted the release of serotonin, prolactin and oxytocin - all hormones that can play a part in elevating moods, lower anxiety, helps people relax, provides comfort, reduces loneliness and increases mental stimulation”.
Ward 2 Coun. Michael Vagnini had some concerns about the program and seemed to have some difficulty grasping the function of a facility dog.
"Would this dog just be for our EMS and our fire, would it be in the rural areas where we have volunteers? Who is the audience for the dog?" said Vagnini.
Greater Sudbury Fire Services chief Joseph Nicholls explained that the facility dog would be available to all members of the city's community safety department, encompassing all frontline responders including career and volunteer firefighters along with paramedics.
"So this dog is not only for staff, it's also for people in the community?" said Vagnini.
Nicholls reiterated that the dog would be for community safety staff, while the staff report stated, "It is important to note that a facility dog is a working dog, they are not a family pet, station dog or Community Safety mascot."
Community safety is currently in the initial phase of implementing a Facility Dog program. The General Manager of Community Safety has approved the submission of an expression of interest application to the NSD and the emergency services committee voted in favour of executing an application to the program.
Ward 2 Coun. Michael Vagnini was the lone vote in opposition to the motion.
Full report can be found here.
