April 7, 2023 After four suicides and two more attempts, Dallas-Fire Rescue is implementing new measures as part of aim to prevent additional tragedies.
Source Firehouse.com News
According to Dallas Fire-Rescue, six Dallas firefighters have attempted suicide since 2018. Four of them died.
In their honor, the department and union are pushing for improved mental health resources.
“We don’t know what’s going on inside people’s heads,” Jim McDade, President of the Dallas Fire Fighters Association told WFAA. “One of the members of the department that committed suicide was my best friend.”
Capt. Kenny Crutcher took his own life on Nov. 13, 2021.
“With Kenny — with a lot of these guys — we didn’t see it coming,” McDade said.
Since Crutcher’s death, two Dallas more firefighters killed themselves, and another two others attempted suicide.
“The number two killer of firefighters right now is suicide, and it’s a scary thought,” said McDade.
According to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, suicide is three times more likely to happen to firefighters than a line-of-duty death.
Together, Dallas Fire-Rescue and the Dallas Fire Fighters Association are pushing to prevent suicide and promote mental health awareness.
Through their efforts, here’s what the department now offers its firefighters
- Peer support is available with 60 to 70 trained peers
- DFFA offers three free months of counseling
- Paid mental health leave through the City of Dallas
- Single-function paramedics are hired to reduce the call volume for firefighter-paramedics
- A psychologist is on staff (the goal is to eventually have three psychologists total for the department)
- A resiliency coordinator is available
- The chaplaincy program is available
All these efforts are to honor those they’ve lost to suicide.