ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County Fire Rescue is using peer support, training and a mental health hotline to address firefighter suicide and mental health concerns. The issue has not been talked about often — or even tracked.
Recently, UCF Restores identified 307 deaths by suicide among Florida firefighters since 1999, which is believed to be one of the first studies of its kind.
At Orange County Fire Rescue, the department’s response includes annual training focused on mental health awareness and encouraging firefighters to check in on one another.
Firefighter Jeremy Shires said the department’s hotline helped save his life after he lost his mother to cancer and began isolating.
“I had made a plan to take my own life,” Shires said.
He said he received a phone call while on the way to commit suicide.
“She said, ‘I haven’t heard from you in a while. How are you doing?’ And I lost it,” Shires said. “I was hysterical, and I was in disbelief that I was receiving this phone call at this exact moment.”
The call came from Lt. Claudia Fernandez, Orange County Fire Rescue’s behavioral health coordinator.
“That was scary, right, as a human wanting to help him and caring about him,” Fernandez said. “I really wanted to make sure that I said the right things.”
Fernandez is one of 13 people trained to answer hotline calls for the department. She said Shires’ crew had reached out because they were concerned about him, and so she made the call to talk to him.
“The more we learn about suicide we understand that a lot of people, they don’t want to die. They just want the pain to stop, and those are two totally different things,” Fernandez said.
Shires said the call helped him begin the process of getting help.
“That overwhelming feeling of love and compassion, it really kind of steered me off course,” Shires said.
He went to a 72-hour treatment facility and continued working on his mental health afterward. Shires is now part of the same peer support group that helped him.
“As he helps other people, he continues to heal, so it is just a beautiful thing to see,” Fernandez said.
Orange County Fire Rescue said its hotline received 245 calls for peer support in 2025. The department also reported 285 peer support check-ins and 159 requests for peer support. The calls and requests can involve trauma after a fire call, stress at home, relationship issues or other challenges from daily life.
Shires said talking openly about mental health is an important step for firefighters.
“To be able to put your pride aside and to be able to talk about it, it really is refreshing and freeing,” Shires said.
Orange County Fire Rescue also has therapy dogs and a chaplain available to support firefighters.
The national suicide hotline is 988 for anyone who needs help.
“There is help out there, and we can get you any help that you need,” Shires said.