In the wake of suicide: Developing guidelines for suicide postvention in fire service.
This project aimed to develop a standard operating procedure (SOP) for suicide postvention in Fire Service. First, an existing SOP was refined through expert review. Next, focus groups were conducted with fire departments lacking a peer suicide postvention SOP; feedback obtained guided revisions. The current article describes the iterative process used to evaluate and revise a Suicide Postvention SOP into a Postvention guideline that is available for implementation and evaluation. Postventions assist survivors in grief and bereavement and attempt to prevent additional negative outcomes. The implementation of suicide postvention guidelines will increase behavioral wellness within Fire Service.
a Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science , Texas A&M University Health Science Center , Temple , Texas , USA.|b Academic Operations, Baylor Scott & White Warriors Research Institute , Waco , Texas , USA.
Suzy Bird
SB
Gulliver
b Academic Operations, Baylor Scott & White Warriors Research Institute , Waco , Texas , USA.
Michelle L
ML
Pennington
c New York City Fire Department Counseling Services Unit , New York , New York , USA.
Frank
F
Leto
c New York City Fire Department Counseling Services Unit , New York , New York , USA.
Claire
C
Cammarata
d Boston Fire Department , Boston , Massachusetts , USA.
William
W
Ostiguy
a Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science , Texas A&M University Health Science Center , Temple , Texas , USA.
Cynthia
C
Zavodny
a Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science , Texas A&M University Health Science Center , Temple , Texas , USA.|b Academic Operations, Baylor Scott & White Warriors Research Institute , Waco , Texas , USA.
Elisa J
EJ
Flynn
e Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center , Durham , North Carolina , USA.|f Department of Veterans Affairs, Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research , Education, and Clinical Center , Durham , North Carolina , USA.|g Duke University Medical Center , Durham , North Carolina , USA.
Nathan A
NA
Kimbrel
D000328:Adult; D000071820:Emergency Medical Dispatch / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D061388:Firefighters / Q000523:psychology*; D006117:Grief; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015397:Program Evaluation; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*; D000092864:Suicide Prevention