If the ambulance you’re driving isn’t running right, you get it checked. If the fire truck doesn’t sound quite like it should, you call a mechanic. We take care of our equipment without hesitation—because we know lives depend on it.
But what about when we’re the ones not running right?
When someone calls 911, we answer without question. We leave our families, meals, and sleep behind to help someone else in crisis. That’s who we are. It’s what we do.
So why is it so hard for us to ask for help when we’re the ones struggling?
Maybe it’s fear that someone will see us differently. Maybe it’s pride, or that old-school belief we’ve all heard, “Suck it up.” But that mentality is hurting us. In 2021 alone, 89 firefighters and 16 EMS professionals died by suicide. And those are just the confirmed numbers.
This profession takes a toll—not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. We see people on the worst days of their lives. Sometimes we carry those images, those sounds, those losses, for far longer than we admit.
For years, there weren’t many resources available. But that’s changing—and help is out there, right now, for you and your loved ones.
Help Is Just a Call Away
First Responder Assistance Program (FRAP)
(For Provident’s Accident & Health policyholders and their families. This is a 24/7 confidential support helpline.)
Call or text (855) 207-1747
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
(Available to everyone, anytime.)
Call or text 988
NVFC First Responder Helpline
(For NVFC members.)
Call (800) 897-9995
IAFF Behavioral Health Support
(For IAFF members.)
Call (844) 896-6945
Take a moment to learn the signs of PTSD and suicide. That knowledge could help you save a brother, a sister, a friend. It might even save you.
I want to say something personal here—because this matters. During my career, I’ve had three times where things just weren’t right. I wasn’t myself. I wasn’t in a crisis, but I knew something was off. So, I reached out. I talked to someone. And I’m so grateful I did.
It was like taking my soul in for a check-up. I came out lighter. Clearer. Stronger.
Please hear me when I say this: it’s okay to reach out. It doesn’t make you weak, it makes you wise. You’re not alone. You never have to be.
Let’s take care of our own—not just out there in the field, but here, at home, in our stations, and in our hearts.
Stay safe.
-Chief Ed Mann, May 2025