Local mountie walking to raise awareness about PTSD and Occupational Stress Injuries

A Vernon-North Okanagan RCMP officer will be walking nearly 239 km to raise awareness and reduce the stigma around PTSD and occupational stress injuries (OCI) among first responders.

Sgt. Rob Farrer will begin his 60-hour journey bright and early at 7 a.m. this Sunday. He will walk from the Vernon-North Okanagan RCMP detachment to the Okanagan Rail Trail entrance on Kalavista Drive. Farrer will then venture along the rail trail to Oyama, around Wood Lake and back.

“More and more research is showing that the number of police officers with PTSD or related occupational stress injuries is well over double that of the general public. Sadly this often leads to significant decreases in quality of life of both the officers and their families,” Farrer said. “While not always curable, PTSD can be dealt with in a positive way in order to achieve a meaningful life. The first step is to reach out for help.”

Ferrer aims to raise $20,000 which is enough to train one OSI service dog at Courageous Companions—a company that helps pair emergency service members with support dogs to help in their PTSD and OCI recovery.