Executive summary

Overview

In April 2018, The Ruderman Family Foundation published a white paper on the subject of mental health and suicide rates of first responders. In the more than three years since that report came out, the severity of mental health challenges, and the tragic prevalence of suicide among first responders has not changed unfortunately. Indeed, the situation has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic along with increased public scrutiny and media coverage driven by police shootings. These front-line workers have faced mounting stress and isolation. Together these factors have led to a wave of resignations and retirements from law enforcement agencies (MacFarquhar, 2021). This report presents updated data for 2020 and 20211 and seeks to raise awareness of the fact that problems and gaps in service exposed in our 2018 report have not received effective treatment and continue to affect the mental health of first responders. While suicides for the general population have decreased during the pandemic (Johnson, 2022), this update reports that there has been moderate to no decrease in suicides for all types of first responders in the year 2020. Although there has been a decrease in suicide in the general population, the trend among first responders remained unchanged. If COVID-19 follows the pattern of similar tragedies, such as Hurricane Katrina, there could be a rise in suicide in the future (Ehlman et al., 2022).

We saw a slight decrease in first responder suicides from 2017 to 2020. Though this is in line with trends from the general public, the numbers are only growing as more cases become verified. In addition, following the pattern of similar tragedies there could be a rise in suicides in the future (Ehlman et al., 2022).

Key findings

» As before, police officers and firefighters are more likely to die by suicide than in the line of duty. This is true for all reasons except coronavirus, which was by far the most prolific killer and largest problem facing all law enforcement officers. In 2020, 116 police officers died by suicide, compared with 140 in 2017. The number is lower, but cases can take time to uncover, and it can take months to verify these deaths by a medical examiner or coroner.

» Suicide remains more common than death in the line of duty, but a less frequent cause of death than COVID-19. In 2020, there were 182 COVID-19 fatalities, 116 confirmed suicides, and 113 deaths in the line of duty.

» 61.7% of all police officer deaths in 2020 were due to the coronavirus.

» Although 2020 has been a time of extensive changes, the number of reported firefighter and EMS suicides was not reduced and stands at 127, slightly higher than the 126 confirmed cases in 2017.

» Since the start of the pandemic, there have been at least 181 firefighters and 78 emergency medical care providers who have died of COVID-19-related complications.

» Marital/relationship issues stemming from trauma or mental health challenges have led the known reasons for firefighter and EMS suicides.

Marital/relationship issues could include having a spouse that doesn’t know how to best support the trauma first responders are experiencing or the first responder is unable to maintain a healthy relationship due to the mental health challenges brought on by their experiences

» The most prevalent method of suicide for both male and female firefighters and EMS personnel was firearms. Nearly 60%, or 1,005 out of 1,716 cases confirmed by the FBHA indicated the use of firearms from 1880 to present.

» Mental health problems of first responders who retire from the force and “fall off the radar” often remain untreated.

» Most first responder suicides are not covered by the mainstream media, and the public learns about these unfortunate events irregularly, through alternative channels.

» Shame and stigma, which are often associated with the suicide of first responders, lead to secrecy and silence surrounding the event, preventing appropriate processing of it by colleagues of the deceased.

» Programs aimed at promoting awareness of first responders’ mental health and at preventing suicide have not borne sufficient fruit so far.

» There is an urgent need to improve the registration and research of first responder suicides.