Families connected to military, Veteran, and public safety service carry responsibilities
that often go unseen. Shift work, mobility, operational stress, caregiving demands, and identity strain shape family life long before crisis ever occurs.
In this episode, we sit down in studio at CFRC with Dr. Heidi Cramm and Lisa Delaney of Garnet Families, a national Queen’s University-based network supporting military, Veteran, first responder, and public safety families across Canada. Together, we explore:
• What “Garnet Family” means and why naming matters
• How service becomes a family lifestyle, not just a job
• Why families are often treated as risk factors instead of partners
• Where institutions struggle to translate research into practice
• What prevention looks like before 911 is ever needed
Garnet Families connects research, lived experience, and community capacity to
ensure families are visible in systems that affect them.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Garnet Families – Queen’s University
PSPNET Families
https://www.pspnetfamilies.ca
CIPSRT – Canadian Institute for Public Safety Research and Treatment
If you or someone you love is struggling, support is available. In Canada and the United States, dial 988 for crisis support. Peer support networks include Boots on the Ground (Ontario and Alberta), #IGYB911, Wings of Change, and Wounded Warriors Canada.
If you are part of a public safety family and things feel heavier than they should, it does
not mean you are failing. It may mean the system has not caught up yet.