suicide prevention & awareness stand down

May 19th – 25th, 2024

May is National Mental Health Awareness Month. To help bring attention to this important topic, the California Fire Service Behavioral Health Task Force – composed of California Professional Firefighters, Cal Chiefs, Cal OES and the and the California Firefighter Joint Apprenticeship Committee – is calling on all California fire departments to participate in a Suicide Prevention & Awareness Safety Stand Down during the week of May 19th through May 25th, to set aside time to conduct exercises and initiate a conversation on mental wellness.

Preventing suicide in the fire service starts with each and every one of us checking in on our own, having uncomfortable conversations, and recognizing the strength in vulnerability.

We must unite as a fire service to address this challenge – the lives and health of our firefighters depend on it. May 19th through the 25th, let’s work together to support our brothers and sisters.

CPF Fire Wire Podcast: Suicide Prevention & Awareness

CPF Fire Wire — Suicide Awareness

Firefighters are exposed to stresses on the job that few can contemplate. Sometimes, the job can take its toll. Nationally, firefighter suicides now consistently exceed the number killed in traumatic incidents. As part of the joint fire service Suicide Prevention and Awareness Stand Down in May, CPF President Brian Rice reconnects with Oxnard Fire Chief Alex Hamilton. A former Oxnard Firefighters board member, Chief Hamilton has developed groundbreaking peer-to-peer suicide awareness training for firefighters. He was first interviewed on Fire Wire in 2019. Among the subjects discussed are the impact the past four years, including the pandemic and increase in catastrophic wildland fires, have had in firefighters' mental wellness and what individuals can do to help themselves and others at risk of suicide.

CPF FIRE WIRE - a firefighter’s journey

Every day, firefighters are exposed to events and scenes few can imagine, and sometimes they can push men and women to the brink ... and beyond. In this edition of CPF Fire Wire, we hear the story of one firefighter's struggle, in his own words. Anaheim Firefighter/Paramedic Matt Fiorenza's story of how he came close to ending it all, and how he came back, will resonate with many.

CPF FIRE WIRE - Suicide Awareness and Prevention in the Fire Service

Listen as President Brian K. Rice and Oxnard Fire Department Fire Chief and Suicide Intervention Counselor Alex Hamilton. They discuss the impacts of the job on behavioral health, the need to break the stigma, and the vital role peer support plays in getting firefighters the help they need. Tune into this podcast to learn the signs and resources that are available. If you or someone you know is in crisis and considering suicide please call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline 988

CPF FIRE WIRE - Firefighter Peer Support

Firefighter peer support is helping to bring the struggle and stress of the job out of the shadows. CPF President Brian K. Rice talks with Assemblymember Tim Grayson, author of CPF’s pioneering firefighter peer support confidentiality 2019 legislation, AB 1116.