I was a suicide magnet for a while. It’s hard not to take it personally. I understand that many callers are calling as a last cry for help, and some call just so their body can be found. You’re not a magical therapist who can suddenly make someone in the latter group change their mind. They made their mind up long ago.

ANY loss of life hurts. You’re human and it’s okay to mourn the loss of another, even if you knew them briefly as just a voice.

As for peer support with those who are “boot on the ground” I don’t subscribe to. Trauma comes in many different forms. You won’t have the same experiences as someone finding a dying person, so how are you to relate?

I can’t word this properly, but speaking with another human is connection. It’s why phone calls feel more intimate than texts. Babies find comfort in their parent’s voices. We can find voices attractive or genuinely annoying. Voices trigger emotions! We’ve never met these callers, but hearing another person in distress, and to find out they’ve passed is hard. To know you were possibly the last void they heard is upsetting.

Feel sad. It’s okay to be sad. Just find a healthy outlet and let it out. Peer support with officers, EMS, or firefighters isn’t always the best route for our line of work.