$20 million investment from WSIB to help Fanshawe College prepare up and coming first responders for mental stress

First responders, local dignitaries and WSIB representatives gather for a funding announcement at Fanshawe College in London, Ont. on Nov. 29, 2024. (Bryan Bicknell/CTV News London)

Fanshawe College and the Workplace Safety Insurance Board (WSIB) have announced a $20 million investment from WSIB to establish the WSIB Centre of Excellence in Immersive Technologies and Simulation for Workplace Safety. It is the largest single research grant in Fanshawe’s history.

The new centre will use advanced technologies, including extended reality and artificial intelligence, to develop training tools to reduce mental stress among first responders or public safety personnel.

“When somebody has a physical injury, we’re able to get them back to work in three months,” said WSIB President and Chair, Jeff Lang.

“A mental stress injury, it takes years and it’s just so hard on the families, it’s so hard on the individuals, it’s hard on the workplace.”

Peter Devlin, president of Fanshawe College, said this relationship will give stronger supports for students in the future, leaning on things like technology.

The creation of the school came about as seasoned professionals in public safety concluded that new recruits, as well trained as they are, were not always prepared for the mental stress of working in the field.

EMS at the funding announcement at Fanshawe College in London, Ont. on Nov. 29, 2024. (Bryan Bicknell/CTV News London)

According to WSIB, 45 per cent of public safety personnel experience at least one mental health condition, compared to 10 per cent of the general population.

“One of the biggest problems we have is building resilience in our members across all first responder communities,” explained Middlesex London Paramedic Services Commander of Community Medicine, Dan Griffiths.

“This has massive potential for doing just that, to put people on a firm footing as they enter the profession.”

Construction on the new centre is scheduled to begin early next year. It’s expected to be up and running in 2026.