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Emergency Responders: Did You Know?

• One person dies every 90 minutes from a fire •

• There are over one million firefighters in the United States•
(Over 75% of these are volunteers)

• 104 firefighters died in service to their communities in 1994 and another 95,400 suffered injuries •

• One volunteer, career or Federal firefighter dies every three days •

• There are approximately 700,000 sworn law enforcement officers in the United States •

• 160 law enforcement officers died in the line of duty in 1997 •

• More than 65,000 law enforcement officers are assaulted annually and 23,000 are wounded •

• Suicide is the leading cause of death in active law enforcement officers •
(over three times the rate of homicides)

• Police officers have suicide rates that are as much as 3 to 4 times higher than the general population •

• Suicide is the leading cause of death in active law enforcement officers•
(over three times the rate of homicides)

• Suicide rates among officers doubled between 1950 and 1990 •

• 300 police officers completed suicide in 1994•
(Double the rate killed in the line of duty)

• Firearms are the most common method of law enforcement suicide •

• Police officer suicide generally occur at home, away from the work place •

• Over 80% of those police officers who committed suicide had communicated their intent to others •

• Over 25% of police officers abuse or are dependent upon alcohol •

• Additional risk considerations: •
Psychological stress
Firearm availability
Repeated exposure to trauma
Job related stress
Relationship difficulties
Financial problems
Difficulty transitioning to retirement