Firefighter Behavioral Health Resource Center

If you or a fellow firefighter feel suicidal or need help now for any reason, do not delay – contact:

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
• Share The Load Fire/EMS Helpline – 1-888-731-FIRE (3473)  
• Safe Call Now – 206-459-3020
• Crisis Text Line – text the word HOME or BADGE to 741741
• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (chat online)
• Your agency’s Employee Assistance Program

Firefighters are fantastic problem solvers; the public calls on us to manage every crisis imaginable. Part of being a firefighter includes exposure to traumatic events. Quite simply – bad runs happen. Firefighters are regular people. They have families, homes, bills to pay, and people to answer to outside of the fire house. Put all this together and, as a profession, it's no wonder why firefighters have higher rates of divorce, alcoholism, substance abuse, and suicide than civilians.

The New York State Association of Fire Chiefs has developed this web page with resources and tips for what you and your department can and should do to protect the physical and mental well being of your members. Keeping firefighters happy and protecting our own is an inside job!

Resources:

• NYSAFC Behavioral Health Flyer (funded through a grant from the New York State Department of Labor)
• NYSAFC & PERMA PTSD Awareness Podcast Series for Fire/EMS/911 Personnel
• Fire Service Behavioral Health Management Guide (National Fallen Firefighters Foundation)
• Recommended Protocol for Exposure to Occupational Stress (National Fallen Firefighters Foundation)
• From EAP to BHAP – A Guide for Fire Departments (considerations for selecting an Employee Assistance Program or Behavioral Health Assistance Program – National Fallen Firefighters Foundation)
• After Action Review Poster (recommended “hot wash” to be conducted after EVERY run – National Fallen Firefighters Foundation)
• Trauma Screening Questionnaire (for use in assessing whether you or a fellow member might need additional assistance following a potentially traumatic event – National Fallen Firefighters Foundation)
• Yellow Ribbon Report "Under the Helmet: Performing an Internal Size-Up" – (a proactive approach to ensuring mental wellness - International Association of Fire Chiefs Volunteer & Combinations Officer Section)
• CDC Guide for Responders and Families (following a potentially traumatic event – Centers for Disease Control & Prevention)

Links to Additional Resources:

• Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives: 13. Psychological Support (National Fallen Firefighters Foundation)
• Share the Load Program (National Volunteer Fire Council)
• Directory of Behavioral Health Professionals (NVFC)
• International Association of Fire Fighters Behavioral Health Program
• CDC/NIOSH Traumatic Incident Stress Resources
• Safe Call Now
• COVID-19 Behavioral Health Resources for Fire and EMS (U.S. Fire Administration)
• 1st Help
• Code Green Campaign
• Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance
• Heroes Health Initiative
• Responder Help
• Firefighter Survival "Beyond The Call" Video (Miami-Dade Fire Rescue)

Suicide in the Fire Service:

• Confronting Suicide in the Fire Service (Report and Recommendations from NFFF)
• Suicide: What You Need to Know – A Guide for Fire Chiefs (NFFF)
• Suicide in the Fire Service (USFA Resource Center)