Suicide prevention in fire service: The Houston Fire Department (HFD) model

Suicides among public safety personnel (law enforcement, firefighters, and emergency medical services) are a growing concern across departments with occupational, mental health, and fitness for duty implications. Research on this topic has mostly focused on the law enforcement community. With an alarming rate of suicides among firefighters, the Houston Fire Department (HFD) endeavored to develop a suicide prevention program to address this issue. This article captures the history of suicide within the Houston Fire Department and summarizes each phase of the HFD Suicide Prevention Program in its development, purpose, methodology, and implementation. Results of this program and implications for this community are discussed.