By FireRescue1 Staff
EMMITSBURG, Md. — The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation partnered with a suicidologist to build effective suicide prevention and awareness through its Everyone Goes Home program.
In a press release, the NFFF announced that it teamed up with Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas, who develops first responder programs, to create a needs assessment to build suicide prevention programs.
Spencer-Thomas built a survey for fire service members to gain feedback on the issue.
“I am inspired to see how the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation is tackling the issue of suicide head on,” she said. “This approach of deep listening followed by thoughtful strategy development is key in making successful inroads into suicide prevention.”
The NFFF hopes that fire departments will give the survey to their staff and share their other resources as well, such as the Pocket Peer mobile app, the “ACT Now! Ask.Care.Take” poster and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK(8255).
Suicide Horizontal Poster Final by Ed Praetorian on Scribd
Dr. Spencer-Thomas also plans to conduct focus groups, interviews and a literature review.
“We are fortunate to have partnered with Dr. Spencer-Thomas to address the issue of suicide in the fire service,” NFFF Executive Director, Chief Ron Siarnicki said. “Gathering and analyzing information directly from firefighters and their families will help build future awareness and prevention resources to support behavioral health needs.”
Click here to take the survey.