Amber MacCormack is a public servant employee with the RCMP. She’s pictured here with her husband and daughter.
Hello Amber! Can you tell us a bit about your family?
I have worked with the RCMP for almost 7 years. I worked as a police dispatcher with the Operational Communications Center (OCC) for 5 years; I’m now the Information Business Solutions Manager. My husband (Shawn) and I have a daughter who’s 3.
What does being an RCMP family mean to you?
Once you start helping people, you realize that it’s so important. It’s not always positive, but it is always rewarding.
Tell us about a few challenges about being an RCMP family that either you’ve experienced now or you have in the past.
There’s all kinds of stuff you miss because of shift work and things that happen at home when you have to go to work so you’re always making those little sacrifices. And then there’s the types of mental impacts that we experience—being able to separate your home and work is huge.
Tell us about some of the joys that come from being an RCMP family.
It’s very rewarding. Sometimes in a small place like PEI, work can get close to home. But you realize how well you can do with helping someone, even someone you know—you have certain training, and you go on autopilot with what you’re supposed to do and when…in that way, it’s rewarding.
Due to a special pot of funding, the PEI MFRC is able to extend its services and resources to RCMP families on PEI, something that not every MFRC in Canada is able to do. What does the MFRC mean to your family?
I actually just learned about it through work, via our Wellness Ambassador. This is a really great place—a great resource. There’s all kinds of stuff that’s available to people. And for different types of employees—military, reg force and so on. It doesn’t shine a light on any one occupation; it’s just anyone who has that type of connection t o those occupations are welcome. That’s really helped me because sometimes if you’re not a regular member, you’re not included, but here I feel welcome.
I encourage people to use the resources here—it’s designed to be comfortable and homey and make people feel welcome and not judged. No questions are asked. The resources are available ad you’re made to feel welcome.