Into the inferno: Counsellor competency in firefighter culture

Due to the increasing rates of mental health disorders and associated increasing rates of suicide in Canadian firefighters' lifetimes, it is imperative to understand how to better provide counselling services to firefighters. This study investigates how counsellors can increase their competency in firefighter culture in order to inform what future directions are needed to better serve Canadian firefighters. Using an interpretative phenomenological analysis lens, interviews were conducted with six firefighters from a large fire department in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. Qualitative data provided emergent themes including experiences of firefighter culture, firefighters' perceptions of counselling, and how counsellors can increase competency in firefighter culture. Implications for counsellors, recommendations for firefighter organizations, and future research directions from these findings are discussed.