Did anything change since the 2025 Safety Stand Down?

The 2025 Firefighter Safety Stand Down happened nine months ago. It had a clear message, Break the Stigma: Behavioral Health Reset.

In a previous blog, Firefighter Safety Stand Down 2025 – Now What?, I called for you to stand up for the proactive changes we say we want. To stand up for each other when things are tough. And to stand up for our families counting on us to come home.

It is no longer about “What now?”

The question is, “What has changed since June 2025?” If things look the same today in your organization as they did during the 2025 Firefighter Safety Stand Down, then the answer is no, nothing has changed.

Evaluation and Performance

How do you measure success?

• Attendance? Check.

• Training reports? Check.

• Social media posts? Check.  

None of that matters if the behaviors haven’t changed. The reset didn’t work.

This is a leadership gap, not a gap in knowledge.

The issue is we are not bridging the gap.

The Contradiction We Ignore

On the fireground we:

• Navigate complex incidents with ease

• Execute high-risk skill with precision

• Conduct PARs every 20 minutes

• Solve problems

Back at the station?

We ignore a firefighter who has drifted. Emotionally. Socially. Behaviorally.

This contradiction is unacceptable.

If your PPE is damaged, you take it out of service.

If a brother or sister has drifted, you stay silent.

This type of silence is not taking care of each other. It screams that you are willing to accept an increased risk

Complacency Isn’t Just a Fireground Issue

We preach that complacency on the fireground will kill you.

Then we tolerate it everywhere else.

• Fatigue

• Distraction

• Depression

• Stress

These are operational threats that are not just personal issues.

When left unaddressed, they show up on the fireground:

• Poor size-ups

• Delayed decision making

• Breakdown in communications

• Near misses and injuries

Mental wellness and fireground performance are directly linked.

You cannot separate them.

You Set the Standard

Company officers and senior members have an amazing power, influence, and they drive the organizational culture.

• If they treat mental wellness as optional, the crew will.

• If they avoid difficult conversations, the crew remains silent.

• If they say “I support it” and their actions don’t speak the same truth, the credibility is lost.

This job is not about being comfortable. It is about being ready.

Which includes not just recognizing when your people aren’t right, you take action in proactive ways!

Policy Theatrics  

Let’s be curt.

If your department has:

• Peer support team

• EAP

• Behavioral Health SOG/SOP

…..and no one uses them…...

You have a TRUST PROBLEM.

Trust can be quickly destroyed with policy theatrics.

Have you asked yourself:

• Are department officers modeling the behavior expected?

• Are members trained to recognize behavioral drifts and act?

• Is the utilization of programs tracked and reviewed?

• Is there confidence in the confidentiality of programs utilized?

If you answered no to any of the above questions, then your system is purely for theatrics.

Theatric systems will fail when stressed.

Culture is What You Tolerate

Your organizational culture is not defined by what you say during a Safety Stand Down.

Your culture is defined by what you tolerate on any given day.

If your firefighters are still:

• Dismissive towards mental wellness

• Avoid resources

• Ignore signs of distress in others

Then your culture has not improved since the Safety Stand Down.

You have transmitted a message that does not have accountability.

This combination leads to failure.

Redefine This Year

The Safety Stand Down ended nine months ago. The exposure keeps occurring every time the bell rings.

So here is what matters:

• Do the officers conduct check-ins that go deeper than surface-level conversations?

• Are chiefs measuring engagement, not just attendance?

• Do firefighters support one another or look the other way?

If we continue to do what we have been doing it is reasonable to expect the same outcomes to occur.

Fatigue. Distraction. Depression. Stress.

What Will It Cost If You Do Nothing?

Everything.

Eventually. Gradually. Then suddenly.

The reality is,

🔥 You are capable of taking a chance.

🔥 You are capable of making a choice.

🔥 You are capable of making a change.

You don’t need a rank or title to lead.

You need action.

Take action and lead from where you are.

The article was written by Battalion Chief CJ Dickinson (a 26-year veteran of the Fire & Emergency Service community)

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