Firefighters rush into burning buildings, rescue lives and face extreme danger daily – but there’s a hidden, often overlooked threat that also weighs heavily on them: the cumulative impact of being exposed to suicides. This unique kind of trauma, with its profound effects on their own mental health and world view, is just now being understood.
Dr Tara Lal, a firefighter and peer support worker with Fire and Rescue NSW, knows this issue intimately. With degrees in physiology and physiotherapy and having received the inaugural Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder PhD Scholarship from ARH in 2018, she embarked on pivotal research to explore the impact of the exposure to suicide on Australian firefighters. Dr Lal’s personal experiences give her an especially powerful perspective; by the age of 17, she had endured her mother’s death, her father’s severe mental health struggles, and the loss of her brother to suicide.
As a firefighter since 2005, Dr Lal remembers a moment in 2009 that changed her life forever.
PICTURED RIGHT: Dr Tara Lal.
“I attended a job involving the suicide of a young man who had taken his own life,” she recalls. “I wanted to vomit. I realised then how we hold trauma and suicide not only in our minds but in our spirits, our hearts and our bodies.”
This vivid experience prompted Dr Lal to dig deeper. Her research confirms that suicide exposure, impacting one emergency worker every six weeks, creates a distinct mental health burden. Firefighters grapple with feelings of failure, a fractured sense of identity and a disrupted sense of purpose, as the suicide they encounter stands in stark contrast to their role as life protectors.
“Suicide is different to other types of trauma,” Dr Lal explains.” The difference relates to the existential contradiction presented by exposure to suicide, which is underpinned by the intention to end life when the primary purpose of a firefighter’s role is to protect life.”
This exposure to suicide creates a unique trauma that can lead to a sense of betrayal and break down trust within the tight-knit firefighter community.
The takeaway from Dr Lal’s study is clear: support systems for firefighters must evolve. A ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach won’t work. For real healing, firefighters need programs that are not only empathetic but also culturally and professionally sensitive. Sharing personal stories and receiving validation from peers is critical in promoting resilience, healing and growth.
Dr Lal’s research is the first of its kind worldwide to examine this issue in firefighters. It emphasises that understanding their experiences with suicide is essential – not just for immediate support after incidents, but as a proactive measure to protect their mental health. By listening to firefighters’ voices and implementing these findings, we can better address the full spectrum of their emotional, mental and social well-being – ultimately fostering a more resilient firefighting community.
“Only by taking this multi-dimensional approach can we truly serve and protect our firefighters, just as they do for us,” Dr Lal says.
This work shines a spotlight on the silent struggles of firefighters, emphasising the urgent need for thoughtful, tailored support – an effort that will safeguard not just their health, but the communities they serve.