In Episode 63: Showing Up to a Suicide, Part I, we chat with Fire Capt. Scott Shaunfield, a first responder with almost 30 years of experience. Captain Shaunfield shares that despite the years of service, one can never “get used” to seeing tragedy. At best, First Responders cope with what they’ve seen, at worst they may become victims themselves.
Emergency Calls and Suicide
Capt. Shaunfield gave us an insight of what it is like for emergency workers to respond to a suicide scene. In an urban fire department such as his, firefighters and EMS workers make 1,000 incidents per day. Many of these are suicide crisis calls. After all, as we have repeatedly noted in our podcast, suicide has been the 10th leading cause of death in the United States for some time.
For many EMS workers, the greatest reward is to save a life. They recount those victories over death with pride and happiness. Conversely, the worst experience for them is to lose someone that they thought could have made it. These losses bring up lots of “ifs”:
- If only we had arrived a few minutes earlier.
- If only life flight was available.
- If only chest compressions had been started by someone earlier.
Ifs in Suicide
All suicides are like that–full of ifs about a life that could have been saved. If only:
- someone had reached out sooner.
- they had known how much they were loved.
- they realized they were still needed.
- they didn’t own a gun.
- the pills had been locked up.
- I had called them back.
- They had told me what they were considering.
Compartmentalizing Feelings
Captain Shaunfield spoke about dealing with his own emotions at a suicide scene as well as his efforts to comfort the “civilians” who are present. To remain effective, first responders must compartmentalize their feelings and remain focused on their job even in the worst of circumstances. At the same time, they must still be compassionate to the people they are treating as well as to others who are present. Firefighters do not get “used to” trauma, so much as they learn how to “detach from their feelings” to do their work. (After the crisis is over, it is not uncommon for First Responders to suffer from sleep deprivation, intrusive thoughts, anxiety, depression, and other symptoms that are linked to Post Traumatic Stress.)
In Conclusion…
Trauma exposure is a hazard of the job for First Responders. Rates of suicide are higher among EMS, Firefighters, Police, etc.. often because of the trauma that they have seen on the job. Though these individuals are undoubtedly heroes for the work they do, they are not immune to trauma’s effects. This can be especially true for preventable tragedies like suicide.