SAFETY STAND DOWN
2026 SUICIDE PREVENTION & AWARENESS
WEEK ONE
Building a Healthy Lifestyle
This week’s focus is on helping members understand how daily habits directly impact mental health, stress management, and long-term well-being. We encourage you to lead these conversations and create space for members to engage openly.
WEEK ONE LESSON PLAN
Start the Conversation and set aside time during your shift or training this week to:
Watch the Week 1 overview video together.
Talk about the realities of the job: How do long shifts, disrupted sleep, poor nutrition, or lack of exercise affect us physically and mentally?
Identify one area where you can make a realistic change. What is one thing you can do this week to better take care of yourself?
The goal isn't perfection. It's awareness, conversation, and taking one step toward building habits that help us stay resilient for the long haul.
We encourage you to lead these conversations and, just as importantly, create space for members to talk honestly about the challenges they face and the ways they can support one another.
If you have questions or need support facilitating a conversation, please reach out to your Peer Support leads.
Stand Down materials, including videos, discussion prompts, and printable resources, are available HERE.
WATCH THE VIDEO
WEEK ONE: Social Media Toolkit
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This September, the California Fire Service Task Force on Behavioral Health, a joint labor-management imitative calls on all members of the fire service to join the Suicide Prevention & Awareness Safety Stand Down, putting firefighter behavioral health, wellness, and safety at the forefront of our mission.
Learn more at HealingOurOwn.org #StandDownForMentalHealth #SuicidePrevention
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This September, the California Fire Service Task Force on Behavioral Health calls on all members to join the Suicide Prevention & Awareness Safety Stand Down, putting firefighter behavioral health at the forefront of our mission.
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For firefighters, having a strong body and mind are both a part of the job. Taking care of your mental health is just as important as taking care of your physical health. This is how we stay ready for each other, on every call, and long after the shift ends.
Learn more at HealingOurOwn.org #StandDownForMentalHealth #SuicidePrevention
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For firefighters, having a strong body and mind are both a part of the job. Taking care of your mental health is just as important as taking care of your physical health. This is how we stay ready for each other, on every call.
MAKE MENTAL HEALTH A PRIORITY
No matter how tough, no one is immune to the anguish that can build from a career of difficult calls.
All too often, we keep the anguish buried inside, afraid to be labeled as weak or unfit. "The 'suck it up, buttercup' mentality believes ... all you need to do is rub some dirt in it and get back out there." The thing is, the same line was used against SCBA, seat belts, turnouts and other safety equipment and practices that are saving firefighter lives. As with any injury, allowing this anguish to fester can lead to unhealthy habits, behaviors, and, sometimes, death. Mental health is medical health.