Take Part in NVFCs Groundbreaking Survey on Firefighter Behavioral Health

Members of the fire and emergency services regularly respond to traumatic events and face a variety of daily stressors that can have lasting effects on their mental and emotional well-being. Tragically, some first responders do not receive the help that they need to adequately deal with these issues and decide to take their own life.

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) is conducting a survey to measure behavioral health issues facing firefighters and emergency responders. Participation from the fire and emergency services community is critical to accurately assess the prevalence of these issues and develop programs and resources that can help.

“It is unacceptable that we lose firefighters, emergency medical, and rescue personnel to suicide,” said NVFC Chairman Philip C. Stittleburg. “We, as the fire service community, have an obligation to help each other and provide the appropriate assistance to first responders in need by aggressively addressing this issue. The data collected from this survey will help to build the programs and initiatives that can create awareness of behavioral health concerns and prevent the tragedy of suicide.”

The data collected from the survey will be analyzed by HOPE Health Research Institute and used in a report highlighting suicide and other behavioral health challenges within the fire and emergency services. The NVFC is working with Jeff Dill, founder of the Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance (FBHA), to author the report, which will provide essential information on suicide prevention and awareness.

The survey takes 10-15 minutes to complete and is anonymous. No information is gathered that will in any way identify the respondent. All firefighters and emergency medical personnel are invited to participate in the survey to help in this groundbreaking firefighter behavioral health initiative.

Take the survey