Feature: The Fire Watch

THE FIRE WATCH Ending Veteran Suicide In Northeast Florida by Nick Howland

On June 9, 2017, retired Navy Chief Chad Mulder—a decorated SEAL—died by suicide in Boerne, Texas as a result of serviceconnected wounds. Mulder was a highly decorated combat Veteran with three Bronze Stars with Valor. Mulder was survived by his wife and children. Unfortunately, this story—while heartbreaking—is all too familiar. Over 6,000 U.S. Veterans die by suicide each year, including more than 500 in Florida. The suicide rate among Veterans is 1.5 times higher than that of non-Veterans, and the highest rate among Veterans is in the age group 18 to 34. This is also the largest age demographic separating from active duty service every year. As a nation, we have known about this tragedy for years. Indeed, the Department of Veterans Affairs has invested significantly in mental health treatment for Veterans. Despite these efforts, Veteran suicide continues to rise. As a community, Northeast Florida has had enough. Our region is home to over 1,500,000 residents and 150,000 U.S. military Veterans. We are stepping off the side lines to end this catastrophe once and for all. The Fire Watch was formed in November 2019 by Baker, Clay, Nassau, St. Johns and Duval Counties to lead regional efforts to end Veteran suicide. It was founded on the belief that the solution to ending Veteran suicide is communitybased. Specifically, the more our community can direct Veterans to the help they need BEFORE they fall into crisis, the lower we can drive Veteran suicide in our community. The Fire Watch is implementing two categories of programs: Coordination and Outreach. The Coordination programs focus on working with hospitals, First Responders, houses of worship, and local governments to identify and close weaknesses in crisis care services available to Veterans. As an example, at the request of one local police department, The Fire Watch created 3,000 wallet cards for First Responders that summarize how to best direct Veterans in crisis to the resources available to them. The Fire Watch has also hosted webinars for Faith Leaders on how to deal with vulnerable Veterans during COVID and represents the region in a State of Florida Veteran suicide task force. The Outreach programs will focus on our Veterans and the larger community. Essentially, The Fire Watch is mobilizing Northeast Florida residents to get personally involved in watching out for our Veterans. The cornerstone Outreach initiative—the Watch Stander program—was launched on May 1 and is an on-line and in-person, early intervention peer network of Veterans and civilian volunteers trained to identify risk factors of Veterans in crisis and to direct those Veterans to the resources they need. Anyone can volunteer to be a Watch Stander. Required training includes a commitment to watch a selection of videos and to take a pledge to “stand watch” for Veterans. Registration and training take 45 minutes. Watch Standers are then asked to get involved in the community—whether on social media, in networking groups, or, if feasible, in person—to be vigilant to the concerns of Veterans and to save lives. Think of it a little bit like learning CPR. According to the American Heart Association, nearly 45% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest victims survived when early intervention “by-stander” CPR was administered before the victim arrived at the emergency room. The same applies here.

The steps to become a Watch Stander are:

1. Go to www.thefirewatch.org or download The Fire Watch app on iOS or Android 2. Click on Watch Standers 3. Complete the steps assigned 4. Sign the pledge to become a Watch Stander 5. Attend three Veteran events each year 6. Be vigilant and SAVE lives

The goal is to build a network of 10,000 Watch Standers in Northeast Florida by the end of 2021.

“The Watch Stander program will be a true milestone in the fight against Veteran suicide,” said Nick Howland, Executive Director of The Fire Watch. “To our knowledge, there is no program like it anywhere in the nation. We have over 150,000 Veterans here in Northeast Florida. They are family members, friends, co-workers and neighbors. Like Chief Mulder, they are heroes who have written blank checks—for an amount up to and including their lives—to protect our community. The least our community can do is work together to protect them.” Look for more innovative, community-based programming from The Fire Watch over the next year. The mission is simple—end Veteran suicide in Northeast Florida.