The number of suicide-related incidents handled by fire and rescue teams in England has tripled over the past decade. The charity Samaritans is advocating for required training for firefighters, who are facing challenges with the growing number of distressing events. Recent data indicates that these services responded to 3,250 such incidents in the 12 months ending September 2025, amounting to about 62 per week. This marks a sharp increase from 997 incidents in 2009-10, when tracking started. Samaritans notes that firefighters frequently arrive first at scenes of suicidal distress and must make quick, critical choices to save lives, yet they lack compulsory training for these situations. Elliot Colburn, the charity’s public affairs and campaigns manager, stated that individuals in these roles report feeling unprepared without proper suicide prevention education. He added that such training greatly boosts confidence in intervening and potentially preventing deaths. In 2024, England recorded 5,717 suicides, an increase of 61 from the previous year, with figures rising since 2017. Fire crews are dispatched to these incidents when their specialized abilities or gear are required, such as for operations at heights, in water, or with breathing devices. Police and medical responders also attend. This year, the government introduced mandatory protected time for trauma and suicide prevention training for new police officers. Samaritans has sent an open letter to Fire Minister Samantha Dixon, urging equivalent training and support for firefighters. A West Midlands firefighter named Mark, with nearly 20 years of service, reported that these calls are becoming more frequent. Early in his career, they were rare, but he handled five in the last year alone. He described the stress of being first on site and needing to act while awaiting additional help. Mark noted that while fire incidents have declined due to prevention efforts over the past two decades, suicide-related calls are increasing. He hopes similar preventive measures can be applied to reduce these crises. He emphasized that despite perceptions of firefighters as tough, these experiences affect mental well-being, and openness about them could encourage others to seek assistance. In the UK and Ireland, contact Samaritans at 116 123 (freephone), or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org. In Australia, Lifeline is available at 13 11 14. International helplines are listed at befrienders.org.
