Suicide-related callouts to fire and rescue services in England have tripled over the past decade, a surge prompting calls for mandatory training for firefighters. New figures reveal fire services attended 3,250 suicide callouts in the year ending September 2025, averaging 62 per week. This marks a significant increase from 997 callouts in 2009-10.

Samaritans reports that firefighters are often the first responders to individuals in suicidal crisis. Despite needing to make rapid, life-saving decisions, they lack formal training in intervention. "People with this experience are telling us they don’t feel equipped," stated Elliot Colburn, public affairs manager at Samaritans. "Once someone has undergone suicide prevention training, their confidence in making an intervention and potentially saving a life skyrockets."

In 2024, England recorded 5,717 registered suicides, an increase from 2023 and part of a trend rising since 2017. Fire services are typically called when specialist skills or equipment are required. Paramedics and police also respond. Earlier this year, protected trauma and suicide prevention training was mandated for new police recruits.

Samaritans has penned an open letter to the fire minister, urging that firefighters receive "the same level of training and resource as their policing colleagues."

A firefighter with nearly two decades of service in the West Midlands noted the increasing frequency of suicide callouts, attending five in the past year alone compared to rare instances early in his career. "We’re attending more and more suicides or suicide attempts, and it’s starting to take a bit of a toll," he shared. "When you’re waiting for backup and other trained professionals, it can be quite stressful and there’s a lot of pressure on you to act."

He observed a decrease in fire-related incidents due to extensive prevention work, expressing hope for similar success with suicide attempts. "Fires are actually on the decrease quite significantly, but special service calls like suicides are rising," he said. "Prevention is better than the cure, and that’s what we’re hoping to achieve here."

He added, "It does have an effect on you mentally. My hope is that when people see firefighters are being open and discussing this, it might break down some barriers and encourage people to seek help."