Suicide-related callouts to fire services triple in England in a decade
Summary
Suicide-related callouts to fire and rescue services in England have tripled over the past decade, reaching 3,250 calls in one year. The charity Samaritans is urging for mandatory suicide prevention training for firefighters to help them respond better to these incidents.Key Facts
- Fire services in England attended 3,250 suicide-related callouts in the year ending September 2025, about 62 per week.
- This number was 997 in 2009-10, showing a threefold increase.
- Firefighters often arrive first at suicide scenes but currently do not have mandatory formal training to help those in suicidal crisis.
- The recorded number of suicides in England was 5,717 in 2024, an increase from previous years.
- Paramedics and police also respond to these incidents, with government efforts to improve police training announced recently.
- Samaritans has requested that firefighters receive similar suicide prevention training as police officers.
- A firefighter from the West Midlands shared that suicide callouts have become more frequent and stressful over his 20-year career.
- Firefighter hopes that better training and openness about the mental impact of this work will encourage seeking help and prevention efforts.
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