HOPE - Suicide Intervention Training for Firefighters

Every time a firefighter is called to a scene, they face not only danger to life and limb but a risk to their very state of mind.

The job asks for extraordinary courage, but often gives little space to process the weight of what is seen, heard, and carried. As trauma accumulates through the years—burned into memory, held in silence—the cost can become unbearable.

Responder Resilience CIC exists to face this reality head-on. We support the psychological wellbeing of those who serve on the frontline, and today we are asking for your help to fund something crucial: the pilot of a new peer-delivered suicide intervention training for the UK Fire & Rescue Service.

HOPE Suicide Intervention Training has been specifically developed to meet the unique culture, pressures, and trauma exposure of emergency responders. Unlike generic programmes, HOPE is grounded in lived experience. It empowers firefighters to support one another, not as therapists, but as peers who understand what it means to face trauma, carry loss, and keep working.

The scale of the issue is stark.

Data released under the Freedom of Information Act shows that at least 50 UK firefighters are known or suspected to have died by suicide between 2012 and 2022, with many services failing to keep accurate records, meaning the true figure may be significantly higher (BBC News, 2023).

Globally, the World Health Organisation recognises first responders as a high-risk group for suicide. In some countries, firefighter suicide rates have exceeded line-of-duty deaths.

These are not just numbers. Behind each one is a colleague, a friend, a father, mother, sister a daughter or son. The impact ripples across whole crews and families.

The problem is not that firefighters are weak—it is that they are human. The strength to face what others cannot comes at a cost, and without the right support, even the strongest can fall. Trauma left unaddressed doesn’t go away; it waits, weighs, and wounds.

HOPE aims to change this from the inside.

By training firefighters to identify suicide risk early, hold open and compassionate conversations, and develop realistic safety plans together, the HOPE model equips teams to intervene before crisis turns to tragedy.

This is a vital step toward protecting those who protect us.

We are ready to deliver a pilot project across selected fire services. We have the trainers, the infrastructure, the support from within the services themselves. But we need funding to get it off the ground.

With your support, we can train the first cohort of peer supporters, evaluate the outcomes, and begin building a sustainable model of responder-led suicide prevention.

Please help us launch this life-saving initiative.

Make a donation,

Share this message.

Do it for the ones who run into danger.

Do it for the ones who never stop turning out.

Do it for the ones who may be suffering in silence.

Let’s give them HOPE.

To support or find out more about our work, visit www.responderresilience.com

Citation:

BBC News. (2023, October 18). Firefighters’ suicide figures not held by many services. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-67112264