JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Every day in America, 20 United States service veterans take their own lives.
The trend in the southern region of the country is alarming, especially in Florida, where the rate of veteran suicide is 36.8% according to a 2018 study. The suicide rate in Florida for other groups is 20.5%.
The Fire Watch, a Jacksonville-based organization, is making it its mission to reach veterans who need help with mental health and homelessness.
The Fire Watch combats veteran suicide in two ways. First, it coordinates local resources with veteran service partners to assist veterans in crisis. Second, the group uses a network of more than 10,000 community “Watch Standers” to learn to identify the risk signs of veterans in crisis and to direct those veterans to the help and resources they need.
To be a “Watch Stander,” civilian volunteers are asked to watch two or three short training videos, explore a guide of resources available to veterans and sign a pledge. The group then ask the “Watch Standers” to save lives by interacting with veterans on social media, networking groups and in person. The qualification process takes less than 45 minutes.
To learn more about The Fire Watch and how to become a “Watch Stander,” go to www.thefirewatch.org.
News4Jax is hosting an all-day phone bank Tuesday to help volunteers sign up and become “Watch Standers.” You can call the phone bank at 1-800-366-9598 or 904-346-4630.