Silence
Between Sirens Follow Us
Emergency services · suicide prevention

SILENCE BETWEEN SIRENS

Support, before breaking point.

Two hand-drawn characters connected by a thread — a tangled, overwhelmed figure reaching across to a calm, smiling one.
Be part of the change Read our approach
The issue

Emergency services personnel are dying by suicide.

This is not rare. This is not isolated to one service or region. This is systemic.

There is no consistent national recording of deaths by suicide:

  • No single source of truth.
  • No clear accountability.
  • No responsibility for services to act.

But we know it is happening — because we have lost colleagues and friends, across services and across the country.

The absence of data does not mean the absence of the problem. It means we don't fully understand the scale — or how to deal with it.

Where it builds

The risk builds between incidents.

The greatest risk does not occur in the moment of crisis, but in what follows.

Repeated exposure, combined with limited opportunity to process or recover, leads to cumulative strain over time. This is carried quietly — between shifts, after incidents, away from immediate support.

At the same time, support systems are often reactive. They engage late, if at all — sometimes too late.

Cultural expectations across services discourage early help-seeking. Support, even when it exists, may not feel accessible, relevant, or safe to use. People are left to manage increasing pressure — alone.

Why we act

This is preventable.

These deaths are not inevitable. People don't go from "fine" to crisis overnight. It builds — shift after shift, job after job.

There are points where someone could be reached:

  • a quiet change in behaviour
  • a conversation that doesn't happen
  • a moment where someone chooses not to speak

Right now, services are not consistently there at those points.

That's where we need to be.

Our goal

What we want to achieve.

No one in the emergency services should die by suicide.

Right now, too many people reach that point without support they trust. We want to make sure that when someone is struggling:

  • they feel comfortable to speak, and confident they will be heard
  • the people around them know what to do — and are unafraid to do it
  • all levels of their organisation are equipped and motivated to support them

This is about changing what happens at the point it matters most.

Our approach

Community · Care · Change.

Three clear areas to change what happens when someone is struggling — and to reduce how often people reach that point. Each looks at a different part of the problem: the people around you, the support available, and the system you work in. Together, they make sure no one is left to deal with this on their own.

Community: never feel alone

The people around you

We want people to feel part of something — not cut off, or carrying things on their own. That means removing stigma, so it's normal to speak openly about suicide, ideation and how the job is affecting you, and building trusted networks within and across services where people look out for each other and step in when something isn't right. We're stronger together — be the person someone can turn to.

Today

  • An online community across social media that raises awareness, reduces stigma and builds shared identity.
  • Fundraising to deliver support services.
  • Showcasing community and support events.

Tomorrow

  • A national network of supporters, spokespeople and services promoting suicide prevention.
  • Regular podcasts, conversation platforms and video content.
  • Peer networks embedded across services — building community, offering peer-led support in crisis, and driving change from within.

Care: the right support, at the right time

The support available

When someone is struggling, what matters most is what happens next. We want the people around them — friends, colleagues, supervisors — to know how to respond and feel confident doing so. We want people to know where to go for help, and to trust the advice when they get there: the right signposting, practical self-help tools, and easier access when it's needed most. And where support doesn't exist, we want to provide it. Support shouldn't feel like a last resort — it should be part of everyday culture.

Today

  • Online guided self-help that gives people ways to improve their own wellbeing.
  • Increasing access to tried-and-tested services with strong support for emergency services personnel.

Tomorrow

  • Accessible toolkits for managers to support staff with suicidal ideation, filling gaps in local policy and process.
  • Influencing national standards across HR, occupational health and governing bodies.
  • A bespoke 24/7 crisis helpline for emergency services personnel.

Change: fixing the system that puts people at risk

The system you work in

This is not just about individuals — it's about the environment they work in. We want organisations to recognise the impact of their occupation and take responsibility for it. That means working with leadership, reducing stigma at all levels, and making suicide prevention part of how services operate nationally. It will take influencing policy, standards and the wider system that shapes how support is provided.

Today

  • Working with leaders and forces who already want to do better.
  • Sharing insight from lived experience across organisations.
  • Engaging national governing bodies, charities and partner organisations.

Tomorrow

  • Policy, standards and national guidelines that support staff at the point of crisis.
  • Greater accountability and visibility of the issue nationally.
  • Honest, tangible process embedded in organisations — with the culture to remove stigma.
  • Strategic relationships with forces and leadership at governing level.
How we got here

I spent 16 years in uniform saying "I'm fine" when I wasn't, carrying the weight of the job in silence. I now live with PTSD.

In 2025, I came close to ending my life. Accessing psychiatric support eventually saved me — but the journey to survival showed me exactly where the gaps are.

This cause is personal. I've lived the silence, the stigma, and the struggle to reach out before crisis hit me.

Silence Between Sirens started because I want to make it safe to speak up early; to ensure no one feels alone; and to see that no one believes suicide is their only option.

— Hannah Cooper, Founder
Where we are now

The work has started.

We're at an early stage, but there's already momentum — and there is so much to do. Right now, we are:

  • building connections within and across emergency services
  • having conversations that aren't usually happening
  • raising awareness of the issue, and what's missing
  • linking people to support that already exists

We're working with people on the ground to understand what's needed — and what works.

Be part of the change —
break the silence.

silencebetweensirens.com info@silencebetweensirens.com
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