By Laura French
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Ky. — Several Kentucky fire and EMS crews gathered Saturday to bring awareness to mental health issues in the first responder community and show support for colleagues struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The eight agencies from Jefferson County banded together for the suicide prevention effort outside a local mall to show that “every service in Jefferson County is on standby to listen,” Okolona Fire Protection District Paramedic Angie Estes told WHAS11.
Responders from the eight agencies stood together and added patches one-by-one to a board reading “One Team,” representing the partnership between the crews in supporting those in need of emotional support.
Research has found that EMS providers are 10 times more likely to attempt suicide and 1.39 times more likely to die from suicide than the general population.
See video from the “One Team” project below:
https://www.facebook.com/LouMetroES/videos/662666390974884/UzpfSTE0MjQ1NTk3NTg5NTQ2NjoyNDQzNDU4NzA1Nzk1MTcw/?eid=ARDdP1RmWF7oEN2e4MqzkR5J4zOkVnFUmgnpaRXb41wJaT97V39LCIbxY-izX-qavwlq8ItGH8zNCTul&fref=tag https://www.facebook.com/jeffcofire/videos/708338696619998/UzpfSTE0MjQ1NTk3NTg5NTQ2NjoyNDQ0NTA1NTA1NjkwNDkw/?eid=ARDdP1RmWF7oEN2e4MqzkR5J4zOkVnFUmgnpaRXb41wJaT97V39LCIbxY-izX-qavwlq8ItGH8zNCTul&fref=tag