Why it's important for you or your organization to support the Fire Service Psychology Association
Robert Avsec
Retired battalion chief and freelance writer. Author of "Successful Transformational Change in a Fire & EMS Department: How a Focused Team Created a Revenue Recovery Program in Six Months--From Scratch"
I hope this message finds you well. My name is Robert Avsec and I’m a retired fire department battalion chief and current fire service member of the Fire Service Psychology Association- Admin (FSPA). I’m writing this article to solicit your financial support for FSPA, a nonprofit organization--founded in 2017, by Dr. Kristen Wheldon, Psy.D, a licensed clinical psychologist and FSPA's current president--who's sole focus is the mental and behavioral health of our dedicated firefighters and EMS personnel (Because the majority of fire departments in the U.S. include EMS in the services they deliver).
The goal of FSPA is to create the specialty of?fire service psychology, a psychology specialty that does not currently exist, though law enforcement psychology and military services psychology are fields, recognized by the American Psychological Association (APA) that have existed for many years.
We know our firefighters are more likely to die by suicide than to die in the line of duty.
Two hundred or more firefighters are dying from suicide each year. However, the data that is available is anecdotal information that relies on individuals to report a firefighter suicide to the Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance, a volunteer-managed non-profit organization. We lack definitive data that help us understand one of the burning questions: How many firefighters and EMS personnel taking their own lives? We lack that data because we have no national reporting system, like that of law enforcement.
Without such data, we can never truly understand the scope and magnitude of the firefighter suicide epidemic. And it is an epidemic, according to this definition from Merriam-Webster online: affecting or tending to affect a disproportionately large number of individuals within a population, community, or region at the same time.
As a team of psychologists, fire service leaders, and masters-level clinicians, FSPA is propelled by the urgency of this situation to take action and bring much-need interventions to our fire departments. That's why we wholeheartedly endorse the efforts of the U.S. Fire Administration to develop and implement a national reporting system for the fire service that models the law enforcement reporting system that began collecting data on law enforcement suicides on January 1, 2022.
But that's just one needed action
The other is a national system for conducting a psychological autopsy for every firefighter suicide so that we have the data to answer the other burning question: Why do firefighters take their own lives by suicide?
Psychological autopsies are a proven tool used by psychologists to obtain the critical data necessary for developing strategies for reducing suicides. The Annual Report on Suicide Prevention and Response Within the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation describes the impact of psychological autopsies had had on reducing the number of inmate. The fire service would benefit greatly from having such a system for use nation-wide to gather the information that would help us understand why firefighters take their own lives.
The need for mental health research specific to the fire service
These are only two of the most pressing research needs for the fire service to help everyone in better understanding how we can not only reduce the number of firefighter suicides, but also develop better mental and behavioral health services for individual firefighters and their fire departments.
Our Mission at FSPA is to advocate for efforts to develop the scientific study and application of professional psychology to meet the needs of the fire service.
But we need your financial support
FSPA is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit recognized by the IRS. Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law. Tax ID Number: 82-0643019. The Fire Service Psychology Association is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists.
Your support, whether in the form of a one-time financial donation or a sponsorship, will make a tangible and significant impact in the lives of our firefighters.
If FSPA's goal and mission resonates with you, please show your support with a financial donation at?https://firepsychology.org/?form=FUNTPBAFBYU
It’s my pleasure to reach out to you and introduce FSPA to you or your company. Please free to e-mail me at?[email protected] with any questions.
Sincerely,
Robert Avsec
Battalion Chief (Ret.)
Fire Service Member at FSPA