News 
Queensland Emergency Fire Service Superintendent Tim Watkins has opened up about his personal story.
He explains why mental health must be a focus in our workplaces, and he encourages anyone invited to participate in this groundbreaking survey to take the time to fill it out.
This is an opportunity for Australian emergency services personnel to again lead the world, not just in caring for communities, but in supporting themselves and their colleagues.
Reminder About the Survey
The world’s largest study on mental health across emergency services personnel is happening right here, right now.
Employees, volunteers and former employees from police, fire and rescue, ambulance and emergency services across Australia are being invited to participate in a short survey. In Victoria, VFBV has strongly advocated and supported CFA to be involved, and volunteers were sent invitations to participate on Friday 2nd February 2018. If you receive an invitation we encourage you to participate.
A representative random sample of CFA volunteers is being invited to participate in the survey. Participants have been selected at random and not on the basis of their wellbeing. This is to provide a representation of the needs of the whole police and emergency services sector. If you were randomly selected, you will have received an email at the email address recorded on CFA’s RMS system. For further information on the survey, please visit beyondblue.org.au/pesresearch and click on the ‘FAQs for participants’ link. You can also phone the research team on 1800 677 248 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Don’t miss out on having your say! Check your email to start the survey. Double check your SPAM or JUNK folders to see if you received it. The invitation were emailed on Friday 2nd February, and would have been sent from this address: (Beyond Blue PE Survey) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
For further information, please click here to see a more detailed article.
I haven't received a link but want to be involved?
If you haven't received a link, but want to be involved, you can contact the research team at Roy Morgan, and they can provide you details on how you can participate. You can contact them by emailing: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Queensland Emergency Fire Service Superintendent Tim Watkins has opened up about his personal story.
TIM WATKINS: survey is time well spent for two reasons
No emergency services worker deserves to experience what Tim Watkins has been through.
The Queensland Emergency Fire Services Superintendent returned to work in Brisbane just months ago after almost two years dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder.
The condition was triggered by two emergency response events involving road fatalities in the early 1990s.
It took years for the after effects to manifest.
Physically and emotionally drained, Supt Watkins began taking consecutive days off work in 2015.
“I’d actually got to the point where I knew there was something wrong and I just didn’t care anymore,” Supt Watkins said.
“I was on a slippery slope and I decided to not even apply the brakes.
“It was very fortunate that two days after I made that decision someone actually said ‘mate, are you ok?’”
Those four words flicked a switch in Supt Watkins and lit up his long path of recovery.
“I lost count of the number of times I regarded suicide as a viable and attractive solution to the pain I was experiencing, even after my diagnosis of post-traumatic stress.
“It was only the love and support of my family and the medical treatment I was receiving which prevented me from carrying through with my decisions.
“Eventually, I had to decide if returning to work was something I could do or even wanted to do.”
Having returned to work, Supt Watkins was one of many emergency services personnel around the country randomly selected to complete beyondblue’s Answering the Call survey.
The largest study of its kind in the world, it will build a comprehensive picture of the mental health and wellbeing of police and emergency services personnel across Australia and the best ways to provide support.
Supt Watkins wanted to tell his story to encourage those selected to complete the survey who have not filled it out will take the time to do so.
“If I can help one person not get to the point I got to, then I think it’s worthwhile,” he said about the survey and its aims.
“It is time well spent for two reasons. Doing the survey, I realised that this is a bit of a self-help check. The second thing is that the information is going somewhere where it’s going to be valued and used.
“There is certainly a desire in our own organisation to do something about this.”
beyondblue’s Answering the Call survey
The world’s largest study on mental health across emergency services personnel is happening right here, right now.
Some of you have been invited to participate, with the aim of the beyondblue Answering the Call survey to collect invaluable information about the issues affecting the mental health and wellbeing of police and emergency services personnel.
The data will give beyondblue the evidence it needs to determine the best ways to provide support.
The survey investigates the prevalence of common mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression, as well as post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide risk.
It will also collect important information about stigma, use of support services and programs, and factors that impact on the mental health of police and emergency services personnel.
Since October 2017, about 100,000 current and former employees and volunteers in police and emergency services agencies across Australia have been invited to participate.
Check your email account now to see if you’ve been randomly selected to take part in the survey.
