The Fire Watch is Florida’s fight to end veteran suicide. We are building a life-saving network of community members and organizations trained to identify the warning signs of veterans in crisis and to direct those veterans to the help they need.
Watch Standers
Reduction in Veteran Suicides in Northeast Florida 2019 - 2021
Veterans Served
First launched in Northeast Florida and now available statewide, our Watch Stander program mobilizes 10,000+ community members to be vigilant to the concerns of veterans and to direct them to the support they need. To be a Watch Stander, we ask that you view 2 or 3 short training videos, explore a guide of resources available to veterans and sign a pledge. Then we ask that you get out there – on social media, in networking groups, in person – to stand watch and to save lives.
There is a role for businesses, churches, and other organizations, as well. Qualify as a ‘Veteran Safe Place’ by training your employees as Watch Standers. The more opportunities our community can provide to steer a veteran off a path toward suicide, the lower we can drive the rate of veteran suicide in our community. Find out more by visiting our Veteran Safe Place page.
Our objective is to reduce veteran suicides in our targeted geographic areas by 25% over 3 years when compared against 2019 baseline data. The latest data available is from 2021 and shows a promising decline. Click here for an independent analysis on NE Florida or here for the entire state. In the meantime, we track various interim metrics such as the number of Watch Standers, web page visits, and App usage.
For a summary of both reports, you can read the official report press release here.
We use data to focus the growth of our life-saving network. Visit our Data page to see non-identifiable, county-specific data on Florida veteran suicides from 2010 to 2021.
There are thousands of resources in Florida for veterans. Our Watch Standers stand ready to direct veterans to the help they need. Visit our online Resources Guide here or speak directly to a professional by calling 211 or 1-844-MyFLVet. When crisis signs are present, please call 911 or the Veterans Crisis Line at 988.
Our success is dependent on community participation. We have over 1.5 million veterans in Florida. They are family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors. They are heroes who have risked their lives to protect our community. Our community is now working together to protect them. Your support keeps our programs free to anyone who wants to stand with us against veteran suicide.
The Fire Watch Project, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) Organization, Tax Identification 85-3790585.
For more information on these seals, please see the official press release.
For meeting agendas, materials, and minutes - for either the Northeast Florida Fire Watch Council or The Fire Watch Project, Inc. - please contact:
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