WASHINGTON -- At the end of October 2004 Air Force leadership was intensely focused on addressing a rising suicide rate among its active duty Airmen.
The 46 Airmen who had taken their own lives since Jan. 1, 2004, represented a rate of 15 per 100,000 for the year. The rate was about a third lower than the comparative civilian 17 to 55 years-of-age population in the United States.
But for the seven years before 2004, the suicide rate among active duty Airmen averaged 9.2 per 100,000 people.
Thus was born Wingman Day, a day set aside to ensure that every staff, wing, unit and team stopped the daily routine and openly discuss not just suicide prevention, but also substance misuse and vehicle safety.
Air Force leaders also asked commanders to conduct full reviews of suicide prevention efforts and to ensure all Airmen are aware of resources such as life skills and other support agencies to address the service’s highest suicide rate in nine years.
The review included the 2004 Air Force Suicide Prevention Program 11 Initiatives Assessment from the Air Force Integrated Delivery System. This group of base-level organizations -- chaplains and professionals from life skills, family support, child and youth services, health and wellness centers, and family advocacy -- works together and takes responsibility for prevention.
The surveys will help commanders evaluate how the 11 key initiatives of the Air Force Suicide Prevention Program are being implemented at the base level. The surveys also served as a critical component of the service-wide re-evaluation of the program.
In particular, it was realized that the 11 Initiatives were being implemented inconsistently across the Air Force. Almost every base demonstrated some exceptional suicide prevention initiatives, but all 11 Initiatives were not implemented uniformly at every base.
One area of particular interest to program managers was the quality of suicide prevention briefers. It was recognized that for many people, their suicide prevention briefing is a prime intervention opportunity. To capitalize on this opportunity, the Air Force recognizes the importance of delivering a high quality suicide prevention message by well-prepared, well-trained instructors.
Local integrated delivery system committees are now responsible for training briefers and, in August 2005, the latest program briefings were released. They incorporated powerful 60- to 90-second suicide prevention videos.
To be sure, for each area of concern indicated in the review, detailed strategies were recommended. In fact, Air Force leadership directed the findings and strategies to be used as tools to reevaluate local implementation of the suicide prevention program.
Did it work?
As the second Air Force Wingman Day approaches, in terms of numbers, it would appear so. In fiscal 2005, there were 29 active duty suicides -- a rate of 7.8 per 100,000 Airmen. That represented a 49 percent decrease from fiscal 2004. Similarly, through Nov. 4, calendar year 2005 suicides were down 44 percent compared to the same date last year (27 suicides), an annual rate of 9.2 per 100,000.
But suicide prevention experts within the Air Force –- and elsewhere -- would be the first to tell you that the existence of a suicide prevention program doesn’t mean we can avoid every suicide. The goal is to prevent as many suicides as possible through careful attention to risk factors and effective intervention with personnel in distress.
There’s no question the Air Force’s community based program is widely considered the best and most effective of its kind in the world. That dates back to May 2001, when then-U.S. Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher, declared the program a model for the nation and incorporated it into the National Suicide Prevention Strategy. Since then, the program has won several major awards and numerous agencies, states, countries, and foreign militaries have expressed interest in the program.
Additionally, a landmark University of Rochester study of suicide in the Air Force concluded that the service’s suicide-prevention program reduced the risk of suicide by 33 percent from 1997 to 2003. The first-of-its-kind research was reported in the prestigious British Medical Journal.
But such laurels mean nothing if the tenets of the program are ignored or given cursory attention.
Maj. (Dr.) Steven F. Pflanz, chief of the Air Force suicide prevention program, recently provided his view of suicide prevention in the Air Force.
”Suicide prevention begins with addressing quality of life issues for Airmen on a daily basis,” Dr. Pflanz said. “Leaders of all ranks are actively engaged in preventing suicide. The Air Force cultivates a culture that encourages and supports early help-seeking behavior for personnel suffering from distress.
“We want Airmen to recognize when personnel are at risk. Engage those personnel in supportive dialogue. And refer them to the appropriate agencies for assistance. Bottom line: Suicide prevention is everyone's responsibility!”