Warning: Please be aware this film explores the emotional impact of responding to emergencies, including suicide. It includes personal accounts of suicidal thoughts, trauma, grief, and loss. These experiences are shared honestly and may be distressing for some viewers. Please look after yourself while watching.
We are proud to share a moving and impactful film. In just 268 seconds, it reveals the hidden emotional toll of working in fire and rescue, and the lasting psychological impact those experiences can have.
Created pro bono by Emmy Award-winning director Daryl Goodrich and Mad Cow Films in partnership with Surrey Fire and Rescue Service, the film was unscripted, giving firefighters and fire control personnel the space to tell their own stories in their own words.
People working in fire and rescue services experience situations that most people never will. Alongside physical risks, many also face repeated exposure to trauma, grief and loss throughout their careers.
The title reflects something many people in the service describe – that it isn’t always the emergency call itself that weighs heaviest, but the quiet moments afterwards, when there’s time to process what has been seen, felt, experienced. The silence is where the impact often sits.
The film was created to raise awareness of the psychological impact of this work, encourage earlier conversations about mental health and wellbeing, and remind everyone in the fire services community that support is available.
These conversations are shared sensitively by people reflecting on their own experiences. Participants chose to take part voluntarily and appropriate psychological care and support was available before, during and after filming. The project was developed with great care to ensure everyone felt informed, respected and supported throughout the process.
We are very grateful to the participants, to the filmmaker and to Surrey Fire and Rescue Service – everyone involved wanted to help others by raising awareness of Fire Fighters Charity and the impact the charity’s help can have.
In the film, the participants spoke about wishing they had sought support earlier or wanting colleagues to know they are not alone. By sharing their experiences publicly, they hope to encourage conversations, reduce stigma and help others recognise when they might need support themselves.
Sherine Wheeler, Chief Executive of Fire Fighters Charity, said:
“Every day, people across the fire services community face situations most of us hope never to encounter.
In protecting others, they are exposed to experiences that can have lasting consequences for their health and wellbeing. Behind every uniform is a person, a family and a life beyond work, and our role is to help them navigate the challenges that service can bring.
“Demand for our psychological care and support continues to rise and the needs of those seeking our support are becoming increasingly complex. But strength starts with reaching out. We sincerely hope this film will help open up conversations within the fire services community and be a reminder that Fire Fighters Charity’s independent care is here – confidential, free of charge and without judgement, always.”
Alongside the release of the film, we have launched a new strategy which sets out our ambition to support twice as many people by 2030.
You can read more about that here:
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