Come join us for the 5th annual “Riding for Life!” An event designed to bring awareness to First Responder Stress and Suicide.
Shiftwork, long hours, unpredictability, witnessing horrors on the job, and compassion fatigue are things that first responders must endure.
These things increase the chances of EMS professionals and all first responders needing to seek out support for mental health or substance use disorder.
- In 2020, 116 police officers died by suicide and 113 died in the line of duty.
- There were 127 suicides reported among firefighters and EMTs in 2020.
- On average, police officers witness 188 ‘critical incidents’ during their careers.
- Exposure to trauma can lead to several forms of mental illness. For example, PTSD and depression rates among firefighters and police officers have been found to be as much as 5 times higher than the rates within the civilian population.
- EMS providers are 1.4 times more likely to die by suicide than the public.
- Recent studies have also found that up to 24% of telecommunicators have symptoms of post-traumatic stress or depression.
Experts describe the shame and stigma surrounding mental health within professions that prioritize bravery and toughness, and the public remains largely unaware of these issues, since the vast majority of first responder suicides are not covered by the mainstream media.
“First responders are heroes who run towards danger every day in order to save the lives of others. They are also human beings, and their work exerts a toll on their mental health,” said Jay Ruderman, President of the Ruderman Family Foundation. “It is our obligation to support them in every way possible – to make sure that they feel welcome and able to access life-saving mental health care.”
The event is FREE, and all are encouraged to attend, regardless of vehicle type!
For planning purposes, we would like to ask that attendees please register in advance here:
https://forms/office.com/r/ctdpVjuXdb
