First responders, who include police officers, firefighters, medical personnel, disaster relief workers, and coroners, typically arrive early to incidents involving harm to people or property, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The nature of their work exposes them to death, grief, injury, pain, and loss, coupled with demanding schedules, physically challenging job requirements, and a lack of safety and security in certain work situations.
Repeated exposure to death and destruction can result in emotional trauma, which can lead to mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, and, in the worst cases, suicide....more firefighters and police officers died by suicide than in the line of duty, according to a report by the Ruderman Family Foundation.The report estimated that at least 103 firefighters and 140 police officers died by suicide, while 93 firefighters and 129 police officers died in the line of duty. And those numbers may not tell the whole story. Only 40% to 45% of firefighter suicides are reported, according to estimates by the Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance (FBHA).