Nearly Three Decades of Data Provide Florida’s Fire Service a Statewide Path to Prevention
A first-of-its-kind UCF RESTORES® analysis, produced with the Florida Department of Health and the Florida Division of the State Fire Marshal, links state records to strengthen coordinated, data-informed prevention and help guide Florida’s Zero Suicide Framework
- Researchers at UCF RESTORES identified 307 deaths by suicide among Florida fire service members between January 1999 and March 2026, drawing on linked vital statistics, EMS licensure, and firefighter certification records in what is believed to be the first analysis of its kind.
- Annual counts have increased since 2014. Risk extends across the full career and beyond active service, with more than a third of members inactive at the time of death, underscoring the need for sustained statewide prevention infrastructure rather than periodic awareness campaigns.
- The Florida State Fire Marshal’s Zero Suicide Prevention Framework – rolled out alongside the report – presents a coordinated statewide response, giving fire service leaders and prevention partners an evidence-informed foundation for action.
“Behind every one of these 307 deaths is a firefighter, a family, a department, and a community carrying a great loss. The data let us see when, where, and among whom these deaths are occurring, so prevention can reach members earlier and stay with them across an entire career,” said Kellie O’Dare, PhD, Deputy Executive Director of UCF RESTORES.
ORLANDO, Fla. (July 28, 2026) – Florida now has a clearer, data-informed picture of behavioral health and loss across its fire service, and a shared foundation for prevention. A new report from UCF RESTORES, produced in partnership with the Florida Department of Health, Bureau of Emergency Medical Oversight, and the Florida Division of State Fire Marshal, examines deaths by suicide among Florida fire service personnel across more than a quarter century. By linking deidentified vital statistics with EMS licensure and firefighter certification data, the study assembles one of the most complete pictures of these losses ever compiled in the state.
The analysis identifies patterns that carry direct prevention implications:
- Deaths were most concentrated among members ages 35 to 54, yet nearly one-third occurred among those 55 and older, a signal that risk extends into late-career, retirement, and post-service years.
- More than a third of members with known licensure status were inactive at the time of death, indicating that risk can persist after a member separates from active service and loses access to department-based support.
- Veterans represented 30.5% of cases with known veteran status, pointing to the value of prevention shaped by both fire service and military experience.
- Firearm discharge accounted for 66.4% of deaths, compared with roughly half in the general population, making lethal means safety a central prevention priority.
- Deaths occurred in every month of the year, and annual counts since 2014 have been consistently higher than years prior. This pattern supports sustained prevention infrastructure rather than periodic campaigns.
“This research reflects what’s possible when agencies come together around a shared commitment to those they serve. We’re proud to collaborate with the Florida Department of Health and the Florida Division of State Fire Marshal, and we look forward to building on this foundation to strengthen prevention across the state,” said UCF RESTORES Executive Director Deborah C. Beidel, PhD, ABPP.
The report’s authors emphasize that the findings are descriptive counts rather than rates and cannot determine why any individual death occurred; death by suicide is complex and rarely attributable to a single cause. UCF RESTORES is now conducting related research to move from these descriptive findings toward more advanced analyses of relative risk, geographic distribution, protective factors, and prevention opportunities.
These findings arrive alongside the rollout of the Florida State Fire Marshal’s Zero Suicide Prevention Framework for the fire service. In August 2025, a multidisciplinary ad hoc team of fire service leaders, clinicians, and behavioral health specialists convened statewide stakeholders to adapt the nationally recognized “Zero Suicide” model for Florida, translating its seven connected elements – Lead, Train, Identify, Engage, Treat, Transition, and Improve – into concrete priorities for every level of a department, from executive leadership to the firehouse. The framework was presented in detail at the July 2026 Florida Fire Chiefs Association Executive Development Conference, and the work is already producing tools departments can use, including a fire service Suicide Postvention Response guideline finalized in June 2026.
Together, the framework and the data give Florida’s fire service leaders a shared foundation for action, moving the fire service from crisis response toward a proactive culture that strengthens connection, readiness, and help-seeking, and sustains support through retirement and post-service life.
Support and treatment are available to those in need. UCF RESTORES provides no-cost, evidence-based trauma care, and its RescueLine peer support network offers firefighters, law enforcement officers, and emergency dispatchers confidential, 24/7 access to peers who understand the realities of the job. Learn more at ucfrestores.com. If you are in crisis, please call, text, or chat with the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.
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About UCF RESTORES
UCF RESTORES is a clinical research center at the University of Central Florida providing no-cost, evidence-based trauma treatment to first responders, front-line medical personnel, military veterans, active-duty service members, and survivors of mass violence and natural disasters. Founded in 2011, the center pioneered virtual reality-assisted exposure therapy, an approach developed and refined in-house that produces PTSD treatment outcomes exceeding national standards. Its work reaches beyond the clinic through a connected system of clinician and peer support training, the RescueLine peer support network, critical incident response at disaster scenes, and community outreach serving first responders and families across Florida and nationwide. Since its founding, UCF RESTORES has treated more than 2,150 individuals and delivered clinical services valued at over $4.35 million.
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