Blueprint’s work began in places where the essentials of human well-being become unmistakably clear: at the bedside of people at end of life, and in the aftermath of trauma.

In Dr. Duncan Shields' work in palliative care, and with refugees, veterans and first responders, a single theme kept repeating—In life’s most difficult moments, belonging and connection are foundational to safety, recovery and well-being.

Dr. David Kuhl’s research on end-of-life experience helped name what people most need when life is most fragile—truth, touch, and time—and how deeply the quality of our relationships shapes well-being.

Both founders brought that lens forward: from medicine and palliative care leadership, and from psychotherapy and group-based work with trauma-exposed communities. Together, they committed to bring what they had learned from people facing life's most difficult moments to inform and embrace the possibilities in a life well lived.

Building a home for knowledge mobilization

To move evidence into practical tools that people can actually use, Dr. David Kuhl and Dr. Duncan Shields came together to build Blueprint—a community innovation hub designed to translate research into applied programs, aligned with the University of BC Faculty of Medicine and focused on delivering research-informed work in real communities.

“Responding to their call”

The First Responder Resiliency Program was Blueprint’s first “proof of concept” program, born from a direct request from the fire service. After two Fire Fighters in the same department died by suicide, respected leaders within the first responder community, military veteran and fire fighter Tony Spiess and Captain Steve Farina with the British Columbia Professional Fire Fighters Association (BCPFFA) asked Blueprint to help develop a program grounded in the real conditions of the work. These two men shaped and stewarded the developing programming and are recognized as founding contributors in establishing and building the program.

The first step was not “delivery”—it was listening. With the essential contributions of the BCPFFA and the BC Police Association (BCPA), the team conducted a qualitative study, interviewing fire fighters and police officers across career stages to understand the realities and stressors of service, what support actually worked, and what was missing on the ground.

Evidence-informed, co-built with first responders.

In 2016, an internal review of the available research found a gap: many programs existed, but there was limited public evidence of effectiveness and a clear need for approaches that strengthened upstream prevention and early intervention.

In the beginning, the program was designed as a collaboration—developed with first responder participants and built in partnership with the BC Police Association and the BC Association of Fire Fighters and offered to fire fighters and police communities across the province.

Throughout, the founders sought to stay true to one core principle: any program successes belong to first responders.  The programs are  built “shoulder to shoulder,” with the culture, language, and realities of the job at the centre.

Groups of peers, real talk, real skills

The result was a focused, residential small-group format: 4 days, eight participants, and an intensive block of skills and guided self-exploration supported by clinicians and trained peer leads.

Over time, pilot delivery also made something clear: many participants were arriving with higher-than-expected symptom burden, and the program expanded beyond “upstream” resilience-building to include stronger early-intervention and recovery elements.

Growing impact and ongoing evaluation

Since 2017, FRRP has supported active-duty fire fighters through close partnership with fire service collaborators. In 2019, policing partners helped adapt the model for law enforcement audiences.

As the program grows, we continue to evaluate outcomes and improve delivery—so departments and participants can trust that what we offer is both workable in the real world and grounded in evidence. From 2021-2024, rigorous evaluation accelerated through grant-funded implementation and research support from Movember.

Following that period, the program transitioned into a sustainable model collectively administered by the BCPFFA, the BC Police Association, and Blueprint.