Premium
Working near a supervised injection facility: A qualitative study of perspectives of firefighter‐emergency medical responders
Author(s) -
Pennington Michelle L.,
Dupree Jessica,
Coe Elizabeth,
Ostiguy William,
Kimbrel Nathan A.,
Meyer Eric C.,
Gulliver Suzy B.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/ajim.23224
Subject(s) - first responder , medicine , workforce , duty , emergency medical services , medical emergency , duration (music) , medical education , family medicine , art , philosophy , theology , literature , economics , economic growth
Background While firefighter‐emergency medical responders (FF‐EMR) are important stakeholders in cities considering the implementation of a supervised injection facility (SIF), there is little information on perspectives of first responders who serve these communities. The aim of the present study was to identify FF‐EMR perspectives on working near a SIF. Methods FF‐EMRs from Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services completed an online survey that queried participant perspectives on working near a SIF. Results Four main themes were identified: positive effects, negative effects, duration of assignment, and sense of duty. Similar percentages of first responders reported positive (22.2%) and negative aspects (25.9%) of working near the SIF, while some (18.5%) indicated preference for a short‐term assignment to the SIF area. FF‐EMRs most commonly described a sense of duty (35.2%). Conclusions To our knowledge, our study is the first to identify FF‐EMR perspectives related to work near a SIF. Perspectives and concerns of first responders should be considered in policy debates about implementation of new SIFs to guarantee an adequately‐prepared first responder workforce.