After 20 years as a P.E.I. firefighter, something snapped. Now he’s teaching others about PTSD

In the summer of 2020, Ernie Gallant hit a wall. After 20 years as a volunteer firefighter, he says his body — and his mind — crashed.

“I didn’t know what was going on,” he told Island Morning host Wayne Thibodeau. “My legs came out from under me and I was crying.”

Gallant was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He said those two decades of fighting fires in New Glasgow, P.E.I., likely played a major part in the development of the condition. 

“Every time I come out of the driveway and looked left, I was triggered,” he said, noting that he turned left out of his driveway when responding to a particularly traumatic fire call in 2003.

Ernie Gallant was diagnosed with PTSD after spending 20 years as a volunteer firefighter in New Glasgow, P.E.I. He says he would travel ‘anywhere’ to speak about his experiences with the disorder and unrecognized trauma. (Submitted by Ernie Gallant)

PTSD often presents in people who have experienced or witnessed traumatic events. Symptoms can include vivid flashbacks alongside other mental health conditions like anxiety or depression, according to the Canadian Mental Health Association. 

Now, Gallant is talking publicly about his experience with PTSD. Last year, he started giving presentations that he’s titled “Left Turn” in firehalls across P.E.I. to help other firefighters who may be struggling. 

“Twenty-five years ago, there was nothing positive,” he said.

“You went home. Best case, you sat back at the hall and talked a little bit.… Worst cases, there were guys that, [in] other halls, alcohol became an issue.”

Gallant noted that older firefighters often stand to benefit the most from talking about their experiences.

After one of his presentations in western P.E.I., Gallant said a young firefighter approached him to ask if he would speak at the fire department in Alberton. 

“He said, ‘I need you to come because the older members need to hear this,'” Gallant said.

“‘The younger members are getting the training now but the older members aren’t.'”

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Jayoda Tennekone, a registered social worker who runs a private practice in Charlottetown, said young people are generally more comfortable opening up about their mental health. He estimates that men and adolescent boys make up 80 per cent of his current caseload. 

“As a generalization … younger people have that ability and the language to be able to speak about their experiences because it’s so much more normalized,” Tennekone told Island Morning. 

He said the men he works with often feel a need to live up to traditional stereotypes of masculinity, wanting to appear stoic and unemotional. 

“That was the expectation for so long — decades and decades,” he said.

“To unpack and unlearn some of that and recognize that you can be this provider, but also know when it’s time to express a level of vulnerability … it’s a challenge to get there.”

To speak more openly, Tennekone said men need a safe, non-judgmental space where expressing their feelings is normalized.

That’s exactly what Gallant is trying to do through his presentations: lead by example. 

“It’s tough. I’m still getting better,” he said.

Gallant said he would travel “anywhere” to speak about his experiences with PTSD and unrecognized trauma.

As for those who might be struggling now?

“Advocate for yourself,” he said. “Don’t hide.”