How Firefighting has Changed
Courage, physical strength and firefighting expertise are at the core of the masculine world of fire services. So what happens to firefighters when, time after time, the reason for a 911 call turns out to be not a three-alarm blaze but a senior citizen who has had a fall, or another vulnerable person similarly requiring caring, gentleness and possibly medical attention?
If anyone in the country has an answer, it’s Susan Braedley, Associate Professor in the School of Social Work, whose multi-year research project has examined the changing conditions of work for fire services in a context of expanding social welfare needs and reduced social services.
“Firefighters are now doing work beyond what they ever dreamed of in their training,” says Braedley. “And many fire services across Canada are trying to figure out how they can meet the needs of their communities alongside the service providers in their jurisdictions. Hopefully my research will help them do that.”
As the project draws to a close, Braedley has become the go-to expert in the media, giving talks to fire associations and unions, publishing a report of promising practices for the Winnipeg Fire Services and working on a book that pulls together her findings.
She has also been involved in two large-scale comparative studies centred on long-term residential care, working with 25 other investigators in six countries whose expertise includes medicine, nursing, philosophy, psychology and architecture. The goal of the study is no less than a reimagining of how long-term residential care can be experienced and delivered.
“It’s exciting,” says Braedley. “We’ve identified many practices that have the potential to truly transform long-term residential care in this country.”
Braedley values the collaboration all of this has involved. “I work with amazing people, from the professionals who are the focus of my research, to my graduate students, to this extraordinary group of researchers. We’ve learned so much from each other.”
Friday, September 9, 2016 in FPA Voices, Justice, People, Policy, Professional, School of Social Work
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