Overview

Boots on the Ground was started by Dave McLennan, a dedicated Police Officer who, on the verge of retirement, felt called to continue to serve his community in a new way. He had become passionate about the impact that exposure to trauma was having on police officers and other first responders and he believed that he could bring together a group of dedicated volunteers to help make a difference. Dave was able to engage a group of dedicated retired and serving police officers who worked together to establish a confidential peer support program that would be available 24/7. The dedicated team took over two years to plan the types of services, engage in training and discuss procedures that would be required to provide safe, secure and confidential support to other first responders. They remained focused on first responders, the experiences that occur in the work and their strong desire to make a positive difference for their community. Each team member has received peer support training, suicide prevention training and has been oriented to the procedures and protocols established by the Boots on the Ground steering committee. This dedicated team will soon be providing confidential Peer Support 24/7 to First Responders across the Province. The Boots on the Ground team is also in a unique position to be able to provide in person peer support 24/7 in the GTA. (This will expand across the Province in the future) We offer our services to retired and serving Police Officers, Firefighters, EMS and Corrections Officers across the Province. Boots On The Ground is a non-profit organization completely run and staffed by volunteers.