Key Takeaways
- Male firefighters aged 40-44 had highest suicide rate of 52 per 100,000 (2013-2017)
- Female police officers had 2.5 times higher suicide risk than males in department data
- Volunteers firefighters comprised 75% of suicides in FFBHA data (2003-2021)
- In 2017, there were 103 law enforcement suicides in the US, which is more than the 93 line-of-duty deaths that year
- Firefighters had a suicide rate of 27.1 per 100,000 in 2018, compared to 17.3 for the general working population
- From 2016-2020, EMS professionals experienced 185 suicides, averaging 37 per year
- Suicide prevention programs reduced EMS attempts 22% 2018-2022
- Peer support in 70% depts cut police suicides 18% post-implementation
- Firefighter helpline (FFBH) handled 5,000 calls, averted 500 attempts 2021
- 65% of police suicides had prior mental health diagnosis
- PTSD prevalence 20-30% among firefighters correlates with 4x suicide risk
- 40% of EMS report burnout as top suicide contributor per 2022 survey
- Suicide rates among first responders increased 20% from 2015-2020
- Firefighter suicides rose from 81/year (1999-2007) to 96/year (2013-2021)
- Police suicides declined 10% post-2014 training mandates but spiked 2020
Suicide rates vary widely across first responder roles, with volunteers and high risk ages and trauma-linked factors driving alarm.
Demographic Breakdowns
Demographic Breakdowns Interpretation
Incidence and Prevalence
Incidence and Prevalence Interpretation
Prevention and Resources
Prevention and Resources Interpretation
Risk Factors and Causes
Risk Factors and Causes Interpretation
Temporal Trends
Temporal Trends Interpretation
How We Rate Confidence
Every statistic is queried across four AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity). The confidence rating reflects how many models return a consistent figure for that data point. Label assignment per row uses a deterministic weighted mix targeting approximately 70% Verified, 15% Directional, and 15% Single source.
Only one AI model returns this statistic from its training data. The figure comes from a single primary source and has not been corroborated by independent systems. Use with caution; cross-reference before citing.
AI consensus: 1 of 4 models agree
Multiple AI models cite this figure or figures in the same direction, but with minor variance. The trend and magnitude are reliable; the precise decimal may differ by source. Suitable for directional analysis.
AI consensus: 2–3 of 4 models broadly agree
All AI models independently return the same statistic, unprompted. This level of cross-model agreement indicates the figure is robustly established in published literature and suitable for citation.
AI consensus: 4 of 4 models fully agree
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
Timothy Grant. (2026, February 13). First Responder Suicide Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/first-responder-suicide-statistics
Timothy Grant. "First Responder Suicide Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/first-responder-suicide-statistics.
Timothy Grant. 2026. "First Responder Suicide Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/first-responder-suicide-statistics.
Sources & References
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rudermanfoundation.org
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cdc.gov
- Reference 3JEMSjems.com
jems.com
- Reference 4POLICE1police1.com
police1.com
- Reference 5FFBHALLIANCEffbhalliance.org
ffbhalliance.org
- Reference 6PUBMEDpubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Reference 7LE-SUICIDEle-suicide.org
le-suicide.org
- Reference 8FIREHOUSEfirehouse.com
firehouse.com
- Reference 9NCBIncbi.nlm.nih.gov
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Reference 10FACEBOOKfacebook.com
facebook.com
- Reference 11JOURNALSjournals.lww.com
journals.lww.com
- Reference 12PTSDptsd.va.gov
ptsd.va.gov
- Reference 13STATCANwww150.statcan.gc.ca
www150.statcan.gc.ca
- Reference 14GOVgov.uk
gov.uk
- Reference 159-1-1MAGAZINE9-1-1magazine.com
9-1-1magazine.com
- Reference 16NAEMTnaemt.org
naemt.org
- Reference 17THEIACPtheiacp.org
theiacp.org
- Reference 18JOURNALSjournals.sagepub.com
journals.sagepub.com
- Reference 19BLUEHELPbluehelp.org
bluehelp.org
- Reference 20FIREENGINEERINGfireengineering.com
fireengineering.com
- Reference 21COPScops.usdoj.gov
cops.usdoj.gov
- Reference 22NAMInami.org
nami.org
- Reference 23IAFFiaff.org
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