Cops are people, too; so are EMS workers.
Dealing with death and its multitudes of bloody derangement daily thickens the skin quick as it’s the only way to get through it objectively, but yesterday’s “horrendous” domestic homicide in Calgary’s northwest community of Dalhart Hill which found two young girls and three adults dead struck a chord that made even the forces’ most seasoned veterans shed a public tear, said Calgary police Chief Rick Hanson.
“I’m going to try and get through it this time,” said Insp. Frank Reuser in his second media briefing of the day, after his voice and police-standard moustache trembled, his compassion dripped past his silver aviator sunglasses in the first. “It’s not a very pleasant crime scene, so to speak.
“Children, a one-year-old child, a four- and six-year-old child … think about it, most of you have children, what impact does it have on you? Then you know very well what impact it has on us,” Reuser said, failing to make it through again.
The first to arrive on the scene were in counselling at District Seven by 11:30 a.m., with psychological facilitators on hand to help mitigate the personal damage as police and EMS workers were hit hard by the scope of the scene compounded by the deaths of two young girls and baby survivor, said EMS’ Paul Lapointe.
