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National Recovery and Suicide Prevention Month

September is National Recovery Month and Suicide Prevention Month. Join us as we spotlight these two critical behavioral health issues. Mark your calendars for our lineup below, and stay tuned to IAFF social media (@iaffofficial) throughout the month for resources to share with others.

behavioral health
A message from General President Edward A. Kelly

Recovery

  • Recovery is a process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live self-directed lives, and strive to reach their full potential.
  • Recovery can apply to individuals coping with mental health challenges, substance use disorders, or both.
  • Recovery is deeply personal and can mean something different to everyone. One way to think about recovery is creating and sustaining a life worth living after a period of physical, mental, or spiritual illness.

Suicide

  • Suicide is a complex public health problem that requires a multi-pronged approach to affect change and save lives. Important suicide prevention strategies include:
    • Promoting robust social connections
    • Creating supportive and non-punitive environments that promote help-seeking behavior
    • Early identification and intervention of persons at risk for suicide
    • Improving access to delivery of suicide care
  • The National Strategy for Suicide Prevention, recently established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is a national comprehensive 10-year approach to suicide prevention that engages all layers of society through 15 concrete recommendations. Access the report in its entirety here: National Strategy for Suicide Prevention.
  • Check out these important pre-recorded webinars from the IAFF and the IAFF Center of Excellence:
    • Suicide Contagion in the Fire Service: Understanding the Risks and Taking Action. This session examines the CDC’s socio-ecological model to show how risk factors – at the individual, relational, community, societal, and policy levels – intersect to create environments where suicide contagion can occur. Presenters will outline both immediate and long-term prevention strategies, including postvention efforts, resilience training, peer support, leadership engagement, and policy reform – critical tools in reducing risk and preventing further loss.
    • Suicide Prevention in the Fire Service: Strategies to Save a Life. Join us for a practical, hands-on discussion that could save the life of a fire fighter you know. Topics will explore available research on fire fighter suicide, identification of suicide risk and warning signs, and how to use an evidence-based 5-step action plan to intervene if someone you know is considering suicide. The IAFF’s Suicide Prevention Stand Down toolkit will be shared, along with other resources designed to support suicide prevention and postvention.

SPECIAL EVENTS

  • LIVE WEBINAR: Recovery, Supporting Peers, and Navigating Difficult Discussions
    Friday, Sept. 19
    12-1:30 p.m. (ET)
    REGISTER
    Fire fighters often carry the weight of experiences that can be hard to talk about – whether it’s struggling with alcohol, navigating relationship challenges, or thoughts of suicide. These conversations can feel uncomfortable, but they can also be life-changing. This webinar will provide fire fighters with tools and strategies to approach peers with compassion, confidence, and respect when tough topics arise.
  • LIVE WEBINAR: Fire Fighter Mental Wealth: Making the Connection Between Your Money and Your Mind
    Wednesday, Sept. 24
    12-1:30 p.m. (ET)
    REGISTER
    Despite a solid income, many fire service members live paycheck to paycheck and lack a long-term approach to financial wellness. In the same way that reducing hazardous exposure on the fireground can prevent illness and injury, a solid financial plan can help fire service members avoid financial and personal crisis later in life. This webinar will explore unique personal and professional stressors at each stage of a fire fighter’s career (0-5 years, 6-20 years, and 21+ years) and the direct intersection between financial wellness and behavioral health.

IMPORTANT RESOURCES

  • The Safety Planning Intervention for Suicide Prevention Training is a two-hour, on-demand training designed exclusively to teach IAFF-trained peers how to complete a safety plan with a fire fighter who is at risk of making a suicide attempt. A safety plan is an evidence-based intervention that helps a distressed person recognize when they are experiencing a suicidal crisis and activate personalized, prioritized coping skills at the moment to keep themselves safe. IAFF log-in required.
  • IAFF Online Recovery Meetings are an essential form of recovery support for hundreds of IAFF members and fire service personnel living in addiction or recovery. Meetings occur every Friday and Sunday. No registration required, simply click to join.
  • Helping Members in Recovery is a two-hour on-demand awareness-level training designed for any fire service personnel who want to support others who are recovering from a mental health or substance use disorder. IAFF log-in required.
  • Creating and Maintaining Healthy Relationships for Fire Service Members is a webinar on building and maintaining healthy relationships between fire service members and their partners, with a focus on effective communication, respect, affection, and empathy. It also addresses common stressors within the fire service occupation and the impact this may have on a member’s relationship with his or her significant other.
  • IAFF Information Guides
  • Report a suicide death of an IAFF member
    • If your IAFF Local has experienced the suicide death of an IAFF member, affiliates are strongly encouraged to report the suicide death to the IAFF. Suicide death reports help the IAFF collect data to understand the scope of fire fighter suicide and connect the local affiliate to resources. Reports must be made by a Local officer by visiting iaff.org/lodd/#report-suicide-death.