Amarillo Firefighters Pipes and Drums

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Kyle Joy, battalion chief of health safety with the Amarillo Fire Department, said he has worked with AFD continuously since 2004. He said there was a time in his career when mental health care was just a package of M&M’s and a Dr Pepper before the next call.

“You didn’t talk to anybody about it, and you deal with it, and you better not let anybody see you cry,” Joy said.

In 2019, he learned that su***de had become the leading cause of firefighter line-of-duty deaths across the country. Joy said the most recent death by su***de for an AFD line-of-duty firefighter was over five years ago, but that, unfortunately, within the past six years, AFD has grieved the loss of multiple retired firefighters who died by su***de. Joy said those deaths, mixed with an increase in reported mental health injuries—such as PTSD or anxiety—amongst AFD firefighters, made the department say: “We have to do something.”

According to the Ruderman Family Foundation, nationally, in 2017, there were at least 103 firefighters who died by su***de and 140 police officers who died by su***de. According to the Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance, around 40% of firefighter deaths by su***de are not reported. It estimated the true number of firefighter deaths to be closer to 250 firefighters, more than twice the number of firefighters who died in the line of duty the same year. In 2021, the Ruderman Family Foundation released another study that found that since 2018, there has been no change in the rates of death by su***de among first responders.

Joy said that over the years, he has seen discussions around mental health become less taboo. The need for mental health care is there, he said, but resources are still developing.

Read more here: https://amarillotribune.org/2026/07/08/answering-the-call-local-firefighters-collaborate-to-increase-mental-health-support/

I've spent years trying to articulate why I play the bagpipes. We assemble from all over, acting as though no time has passed since the last tragedy. Most of us don't personally know those who have passed, but we know their spirit of service and we recognize that belong to a large family of firefighters and first responders. For me, though, I play to send a message to those left behind. My years of practice and preparation directly translate to a performance I hope communicates to those left behind how much a grateful community and our fire service family honors their sacrifices. Memorials end, and loved ones are just beginning one of the most profound and difficult journeys anyone can take: surviving.