Suicide Is a Threat to Public Health Like No Other
Police officers and firefighters are especially at risk
If you, or anyone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or actions, please reach out to the national suicide hotline at 800–273–8255. There is always help. We need you around.
The International Association of Fire Chiefs’ (IAFC) Volunteer and Combination Officers Section (VCOS) released the 2021 Yellow Ribbon Report Update: Best Practices in Behavioral Wellness for Emergency Responders. In the email that accompanied the report to my inbox, the IAFC stated, “more firefighters die from suicide each year than in the line of duty, according to the Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance, and many suicides are likely unreported.”
Firefighters are not the only ones being struck at an alarming rate by suicide. Police officers are showing similar trends. According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, Covid-19 was the top killer of cops in the United States in 2020, followed by shootings and car crashes. But those are numbers for on-the-job deaths. Buried in the statistics are suicide numbers, which, according to the Ruderman Family Foundation, outpace on-the-job deaths.
During the January 6, 2021, riot at the United States Capitol, a number of police officers suffered…
