STARS works to ease mental toll for first responders

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This article was published 09/09/2025 (338 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Grant Therrien knows the importance of taking care of one’s mental health at work.

The night shift for STARS air ambulance workers was nearing its end Sept. 4, when it received a call around 6:30 a.m. about a mass casualty event in Hollow Water First Nation.

The chopper was sent out and, shortly after the day shift crew arrived for work, they were sent in the backup helicopter to assist.

“You never know what you’re going to encounter,” Therrien, a flight paramedic who was on the mission to Hollow Water, said. “We know that when we launch the helicopter, it’s probably someone that’s having the worst day of their life. And so we always expect the worst.”

A mass stabbing at Hollow Water First Nation claimed the life of one person and wounded seven others. The accused died in a crash with an RCMP vehicle after attempting to flee.

STARS airlifted two patients in critical condition to Winnipeg’s Health Sciences Centre. When the crew returned to its base, they were met by a peer support team and Orion, the service’s therapy dog.

The peer support team helps to debrief crews after a mission and, if needed, enlists outside agencies for more psychological help.

“We want to make sure that our staff are looked after so they’re ready to go on that next call,” Therrien said. “These crews are precious and so is their mental health.”

STARS launched its annual fundraising calendar Thursday, which includes staffers, patients and Orion.

Therrien said mental wellness initiatives for employees are critical, given the accidents crews encounter.

One of those accidents involved Sean Rickards, a general contractor who was rushing to finish a job on a farm in the rural community of Grandview to beat some incoming inclement weather.

A wrong move wedged Rickards between two machines and crushed the right side of his body.

He needed to be transported to an emergency room in Winnipeg, but that was a four-hour drive. Emergency responders at the local hospital he was taken to called STARS, and his travel time was cut in half.

“There’s no way that any other attempt (to treat me) would have allowed me to be here,” Rickards said.

“You hear stories about accidents, and you don’t really ever think it can happen to you,” added Mindy Rickards, Sean’s wife. “STARS was ultimately key to what was keeping our family together.”

The private service has recently undertaken several initiatives to put mental health at the forefront, Therrien said, including bringing Orion on board.

The three-year-old yellow Labrador retriever is stationed in Winnipeg but travels to STARS bases as needed. Therrien said employee wellness has significantly improved as a result.

The service also partners with other first responders, such as firefighters, law enforcement and paramedics, to debrief after tragedies like the incident in Hollow Water or the 2023 highway accident near Carberry that killed 17 people.

“Sometimes it’s just getting your emotions out and what you’re feeling, knowing you’re not alone, that your partners are also feeling the same way,” Therrien said. “It’s really important we keep an eye out for our team.”

A typical flight crew is staffed by critical care nurses and paramedics who are supported by on-call transport physicians. A pair of pilots is deployed on each flight.

The province recently inked an $84-million contract with STARS that will see it provide emergency medical care and transport in the province for another decade.

The former Progressive Conservative government began decommissioning the Lifeflight air ambulance service in 2019, and in late 2020, STARS assumed an expanded role.

The Alberta-based non-profit operates year-round and provides emergency care and transport across western Canada.

STARS completes approximately 800 missions in Manitoba per year, Therrien said.

nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca