Friday, April 23, 2021 7 Brooklin Town Crier their breaking points and not having supportive outlets. So I kind of want to be that." After graduating from Durham College's Police Foundations program, he spent five years in mental health security in psychiatric wards dealing with mental health every day. It was his introductory exposure to the fragility of the human mind, that something like a car accident could turn, as he describes it, a multi millionaire into someone suffering horribly. More support today When he started with the police, there was little to address or support those dealing with the kinds of daily stressors such first responders felt. It's different today, of course, as he points out the many great support mechanisms in place. Still, "Every week there's someone out there who's at the end of their pain and takes their life. I'm kinda getting really frustrated with that because there are people who are not aware of the amazing services available to them." "Five years ago," he adds, "if someone had asked me if I would like to have a friend who is not in your job, I'd ask why. So they can criticize me? So they can hate me? But now," he emphasizes, "I have such a strong close knit supportive community of friendships outside of my work that it's amazing." Tools available The support he's received and "tools" he now has have enabled him to consider returning to work soon. In fact, just recently he "toured" his police station for the first time in three years, so it's possible he will one day integrate back into limited active duty in an administrative capacity. In the future, Harrison would like to be able to help with wellness or peer help programs. "Twenty years from now, I want to be able to say that I didn't walk away, that I gave it another go. But if it turns out that it isn't good for me, that it isn't healthy, then absolutely I have the support in place for a secondary career." Which may end up being TRAC. What he wants out of the company right now is to be able to donate to worthy mental health causes for first responders. Aside from covering costs, all proceeds from the apparel sales go to groups such as Wounded Warriors, Beyond the Blue, or Camp Maple Leaf, a summer program for the children of first responders and military personnel diagnosed with operational or trauma related injuries. The camp allows children to be with clinicians and counsellors to find out why their dads or moms are how they are. "I'd rather help fund stuff so they can help other people, just to give back what they gave me and more. Everyone is helping everyone." Managing expectations During these initial days of TRAC, he explains his expectations. "I have wild expectations but then I also have tapered expectations. Tapered expectations would be like if I never have to work another overtime, that's fantastic. Wild ones would be I would like to donate six figures. I know there's an availability to have a revenue stream on this. Right now, it's a nonprofit. "I'm not in it for the money. That's not why I created this. Somebody who is a first responder to wear something of mine out in the community would feel fantastic. I'm able to do something that is meaningful." The semi colon The term "tier response" refers to the coordination of the three emergency services in response to an incident. It was therefore a natural place to start for the name. However, he added to the logo an unusual symbol: a semi colon. Harrison explains. "When you're writing a story and you want to take a pause, you want to collect yourself before removing on - there's a lot of stuff around that in mental health. A semi-colon in your life shows that your life isn't over. You want to persevere but for some reason you can't. You might need to rest, regroup, seek professional help, self-care, but you can insert a semicolon and then forge on. "A lot of people who have fought the demons and had suicidal thoughts have semicolons as tattoos. It's something that people can find strength and comfort in." The TRAC Facebook site, much of which was compiled by his social media advisor Rachel Lopez, includes loads of information about mental health and where to get information in addition to access to the apparel link. And no, one does not need a Facebook account to buy from the site. Quick turnaround The company handling TRAC's fulfillment is Oakville and is a print-on-demand service. This means that an order placed through TRAC's Facebook site will arrive within a few days, and shipping in Canada is free. Harrison's clothing line isn't cheap, but with good reason. "Prices are made so that I can cover everything and am able to donate a margin that is worthwhile, that covers the cost and donate funds. You can't do it by donating 50 cents for a shirt." So far, even in this short startup period, support for TRAC has been wonderful, he says. Meanwhile, Keith Harrison juggles two occupations: building TRAC into a support mechanism for first responders' mental health, and taking care of his own recovery. TRAC: https://www.facebook. com/TRapparelcompany/ Click on "Shop Now" The Meaning of the Tier Shield logo The Tier Shield logo proudly displays and honours all branches of 1st Responders. The crests of EMS, fire and police are on the right with the staff of mercury for nurse, doctor and other medical colleagues. The chevron represents our proud military family. The semicolon serves as a reminder to pause, rest and take care of ourselves. As for the circles surrounding the logo, the innermost one represents the circle in group therapy, a safe non-judgemental place where one can express themselves without fear or recourse. The two outer circles represent the ripple effect created by the waves of change leading to the end of stigmas surrounding mental health.