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FRIDAY UPDATE
Sisters & Brothers,
This week, our members have been fighting on the frontline with the Pine Fire in Piñon Hills and the Sante Fe Fire in Irwindale. We can never emphasize enough the gratitude we feel for representing the finest Fire Personnel in the country. As we head into the summer months, we know that our members will be tested more than ever with the increasing intensity and scale of wildfires in LA County and across the State. Thank you to you and your families for your unwavering commitment to the safety of our LA County residents and our communities.
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LA County Firefighter Memorial
This week, we also paid tribute to all of the brave and selfless LACOFD brothers and sisters who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect others.
In a small ceremony, we recognized and remembered Battalion Chief Mark Tolbert and Brother Randall Duarte, both of whom passed away in 2019. We shall not forget. |
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SAVE THE DATE: BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SAFETY STAND DOWN
Next week, our entire Department will be engaging in a Department-wide Suicide Awareness & Safety Stand-Down. From May 17 to May 21 we will join our 30,000 plus brothers and sisters from across California in a Behavioral Health Safety Stand Down to bring awareness to the importance of mental health for our Firefighters and Fire Personnel.
Our members are being pushed harder than ever, forced to navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic and historic wildfires. The pandemic has introduced new anxiety to an already stressful job. This stress can overwhelm even the strongest among us – with one of our own taking their life.
The facts speak for themselves:
- Firefighting is second only to combat soldiers in terms of occupational stress
- Over the past five years, more firefighters have taken their own lives than died in traumatic line-of-duty deaths
- Nearly one in three firefighters has considered suicide.
This May, the California fire service is once again mobilizing firefighters to participate in a Behavioral Health Suicide Awareness Safety Stand Down. Now in its third year, the Safety Stand Down seeks to engage firefighters directly through training on a health and safety issue that could, literally, be a matter of life and death.
The California Fire Service Behavioral Health Task Force, co-chaired by President Dave Gillotte, will provide fire stations and local unions the tools they need to help get the conversation started. Material, including wallet cards, posters, and other material, will be available along with links to resources. In addition to these resources, Local 1014 will also be posting new station posters with behavioral health resources and Peer Support Team contacts.
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As always, stay safe and take care of each other.
In Solidarity,
President Dave Gillotte and the Local 1014 Executive Board |
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