Blue Light Card Foundation, Charnwood Edge, Syston Road, Cossington, Leicester LE7 4UZ
The Blue Light Card Foundation is a registered charity within England and Wales. Charity No. 1 1 9 8 4 9 2
In this section, we offer guidance, real stories, and resources around suicide awareness, prevention, and support — to help you, your team, and loved ones feel less alone and better equipped to start difficult conversations.
Crisis Lines: What to expect
Suicide remains a leading cause of death for both men and women in the UK, and research suggests that Blue Light workers and volunteers are amongst the most likely to be impacted by suicide. While prevention and postvention resources are vital, it is also important that people know where to go for help and support if they are in crisis. In this blog, we speak to our partners at The Ambulance Staff Charity (TASC) and The Fire Fighters Charity about their independent and confidential crisis lines which are available 24/7 to anybody within the respective services experiencing suicidal thoughts. We also catch up with the National Police Wellbeing Service – Oscar Kilo about their intentions to set up the same line for policing starting with a regional proof of concept in April 2024.
Why did you decide to launch a crisis phone line?
The Ambulance Staff Charity (TASC) pioneered a crisis line specifically for ambulance staff. The impact of their initiative has since gone on to inspire other Blue Light organisations to follow in their footsteps.
Karl Demian, CEO, said that they wanted to create a service after seeing more people with suicide ideation seeking TASC’s help. Concerned by the number of deaths by suicide within the ambulance community, TASC “wanted to create a service that would be built on what we learnt from the people that were coming to us and the success that we had in helping them.”
As a result, Angie Crashley, Wellbeing Manager at TASC, and David Snedlers, Counsellor and National Trainer, compiled a report highlighting their findings and solutions. “It became clear that we had an approach which was seeing really powerful results which seemed to have longevity”, said Karl.
Karl shared these finding to The Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE), stating “we want to do something about this but we need help and support”. Following this, TASC took a collaborative approach with the ambulance trusts to set up a crisis line which could help more people.
Why might Blue Light members be particularly in need of a crisis line?
David believes that a crisis line for Blue Light workers and volunteers is essential because “they will see things frequently which will affect them on a personal level. They see things which the general public don’t, and sometimes these are things that people would never want to see in their lives. Often, Blue Light members won’t share what they see and experience at work with their partners or support systems because they don’t want to bring that into their personal lives, so they tend to hold those emotions in.’
What happens when somebody calls the crisis line?
Angie explained that when somebody calls the crisis line, they will speak to a qualified and experienced counsellor who assesses their crisis level and whether the person is experiencing suicidal ideation. Initially, all callers receive supported stabilisation using grounding techniques.
If the caller is experiencing suicidal ideation, they are offered structured intervention via the CAMS (Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality) programme of five sessions, the first of which will be arranged within 24 hours. Those in crisis, but not experiencing suicidal ideation, will be supported and signposted towards an organisation or service to best suit their needs.
If a caller isn’t currently experiencing suicide ideation but has recently, then the counsellors will often conduct ‘check-in’ calls with the individual, offering support and introducing the CAMS programme if needed.
Following the programme, additional support can be arranged, and where possible, the counsellor will remain the same throughout the process to avoid individuals having to repeat their story to different professionals.
What learnings can you share with other partners?
Since launching, Angie very quickly found that “regardless of how individuals get in touch, whether that’s through self-referral, the general telephone line or manager referral, the best results come from those that are engaged and willing to work with the service.”
Karl also highlighted that despite receiving funding from ambulance trusts, TASC have a mechanism in place to address gaps in manager support and understanding of suicide. When possible, they anonymously highlight operational issues, whether isolated incidents or patterns, to improve outcome, broadening their focus beyond individual support and addressing systemic concerns.
Since launching in November 2022, TASC’s crisis line has supported more than 450 individuals. This impact inspired the Fire Fighters Charity to set up their own crisis line to support their staff.
The Fire Fighter’s Charity: What made you want to follow in TASCs footsteps?
Sharon Bailey, Director of Services, said “In an ideal world we wouldn’t have a crisis line because there wouldn’t be a need for one, but there really is a need there.
We always knew that there was a gap in our resources, and since COVID that was becoming more apparent.”
The Fire Fighter’s Charity found that following the pandemic, more people were approaching them with a higher level of need.
“We were taking calls from people in crisis and yet we didn’t have anything for them. We had the prevention resources and the postvention resources, but it just felt like there was very little there for those actually in crisis and needing support.”
Since launching in November 2023, the Fire Fighter’s Charity have supported 58 individuals.
How does helping so many people make you feel?
“We are proud of what we have done, but we all remember and are driven by those instances where we haven’t been able to do what we really wanted to do, which is to keep people with us”, said Karl when speaking on TASC’s impact.
All the partners went on to highlight the sense of added responsibility they now feel, Sharon said “you just want to go up to everybody and tell them that the crisis line is there and tell them to use it.”
David then added the importance of having a support system in place for the teams taking the calls because “this is never easy.”
Oscar Kilo: Preparing for a crisis line
Using the insights and knowledge from the other partners, Oscar Kilo, The National Police Wellbeing Service, are working to set up their own crisis line for policing staff. Andy Rhodes, Service Director, says that this is new territory for them but they are responding to a gap and a need for a crisis line.
“For the police force, we have no idea the number of people who are at a level of crisis, until sadly someone takes steps to end their own life. We have limited data, and we don’t know about the near misses or the people that are going elsewhere for support. It’s that unknown that has influenced us to take the step of setting up a crisis line.”
All three services recognise that there is sometimes a lack of trust from front line staff when accessing support services by internal management. However, just like the crisis line for the ambulance staff and fire fighters, Oscar Kilo’s crisis line will be a completely independent, confidential and impartial service.
Click the links below for each of the partners content on suicide prevention and postvention, as well as their crisis lines.
The Fire Fighters Crisis Line: 0300 373 0896
The Ambulance Staff Charity: 0300 373 0898
Understanding suicidal thoughts and ideation
If somebody expresses to you that they might be experiencing suicidal thoughts, our initial instinctive reaction can be to panic and jump to conclusions. This is due to the myths and stigma surrounding suicide, and a lack of true understanding of what somebody may be going through. As a result, it’s important that we properly understand what it means to experience suicidal ideation, and how we can approach the topic rationally and calmly. Here, we explore what suicide ideation is, and some common myths associated with suicide.
What is suicide ideation?
Suicide ideation, or suicidal thoughts, refers to when somebody thinks about or is planning to take their own life. Thoughts can range from a detailed plan to a fleeting momentary consideration.
Sometimes the terms “passive” and “active” are used in relation to suicidal ideation. Passive thoughts refer to when somebody may no longer have the motivation to live but does not actively have a plan or considered steps to die by suicide.
Who is likely to experience suicidal thoughts?
A common misconception is that you have to be struggling with a mental health condition to think about suicide. In actuality, 1 in 5 people have thought about suicide in their life, and not all people who consider suicide struggle with a mental health concern.
When it comes to suicidal thoughts and feelings, different people will have different experiences, which can build over time. Sometimes an individual might not understand why they feel suicidal. They may feel numb, hopeless or overwhelmed and unable to cope.
What are some common myths about suicide?
Many people who are feeling suicidal do not actually want to die, they just want the way they are feeling or the situation they are in to stop.
Talking about suicide not only reduces stigma, but also allows someone to tell you how they feel and what they are experiencing.
Suicide is often referred to as a “silent killer” due to how often signs go unnoticed and individuals suffer in silence. People who talk about feeling suicidal should always be taken seriously. They may also be talking about suicide as a way of seeking support
Every death by suicide is preventable. Getting the right kind of support at the right time is vital.
There are helplines and support resources for everybody, even if you’re not in immediate danger or crisis.
Suicide support, helplines and resources for the Blue Light community:
Text, email and numbers:
The Ambulance Staff Charity (TASC) Crisis Line: 0300 373 0898
TASC Support Line for those not in crisis: 02477 987 922
The Fire Fighters Charity Crisis Line: 0300 373 0896
Samaritans: Call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.com
Text ‘BLUE LIGHT’ to SHOUT on 58258
Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) helpline: 0800 58 58 58
Warning Signs: Could my Blue Light colleague be suicidal?
In 2023, 7,037 people died by suicide in the UK. Such a large number can be difficult to visualise, but what matters is that every single suicide is preventable. As frontline workers, or volunteers, you’re likely already aware of the impact that early intervention and seeking support quickly can have. You’re also no stranger to stressful, traumatic and intense situations that overtime can begin to take a toll on you and those around you.
Suicide can feel like a difficult topic to approach, but the reality is, it’s a conversation that needs to happen. And not just once.
Over time, our colleagues and the wider Blue Light community become some of our closest friends and family (it’s bound to happen considering how much time we spend together and how much we see!). Often, it’s those closest to us that see changes in our mood and behaviour, and spot the warning signs before we do.
Those experiencing suicidal ideation may not reach out for support directly, but they may exhibit behaviours or express thoughts that signal that they’re struggling. Being vigilant and knowing what to look out for can help you to know when to offer support, and make all the difference:
What can you do?
Creating a supportive workplace culture to help prevent suicide
As Blue Light workers and volunteers, our team and colleague become family and some of our closest friends. In such tight knit environments, the way that we talk about mental health and support each other plays a huge role in tackling stigma and raising awareness, which could ultimately be lifesaving.
Often, it’s those closest to us that see changes in our mood and behaviour, and spot the warning signs before we do. However, being able to notice red flags within our colleagues is one thing; creating a truly supportive environment at work where individuals feel able to access help when they need it, and talk openly about what they are going through, is another.
Here we explore some ways of creating a supportive workplace environment which helps to raises awareness of suicide and acts to prevent it.
While these steps may seem simple, they can go a long way towards ensuring that people within your team do not feel alone and know that there is support available for them.
Blue Light Card Foundation, Charnwood Edge, Syston Road, Cossington, Leicester LE7 4UZ
The Blue Light Card Foundation is a registered charity within England and Wales. Charity No. 1 1 9 8 4 9 2
Copyright 2023 Blue Light Card Foundation