My friends, today, I come to you with some weight on my heart. Yesterday, in our statewide Firefighter Assistance and Support Team (F.A.S.T.) meeting, we discussed the Team’s “Finding Hope” initiative. This initiative began several months ago when we came together to develop training and resources to address the issue of suicide in our Fire Service/EMS community. Our discussion yesterday led to the fact that 100 firefighters took their own lives in 2014 across the United States, up from 65 in 2013. In addition, we know that 21 firefighters have taken their lives so far in 2015. While some of the increase in numbers may be attributed to an improved reporting system, it still creates red flags to which we must, as the Fire Service, respond. Here in the Lowcountry, we have joined our other F.A.S.T. Team brothers and sisters in pledging our continuing efforts to reaching out to those of us in the darkest days of their lives. For us, that begins with improving the educational process for all of you. To that end, we have developed our “Suicide Awareness” program to be delivered to fire departments and EMS organizations throughout our state. This program addresses the issue of suicide from a peer perspective giving participants an awareness of general characteristics of those who contemplate taking their own lives. The program also provides much information to prepare us to recognize those in our own ranks that are experiencing difficulties and/or suicidal thoughts and the resources available to them, and to us, to assist them.
Often, after the loss of a loved one or a fellow firefighter/EMT, we find ourselves caught up in the “what ifs”; “what if I had been there?”, “what if I had listened closer?”, “what if they had reached out for help?” Knowledge is a powerful tool and we must do better to prepare ourselves to taking care of each other. Come join with us by asking for the training to be brought to your department. We will be pleased to provide it to you.
Gerald