Crisis Lines for First Responders and Veterans in Canada and the US

When things go bad, you won't want to search for a phone number. If you're exhausted, flooded, or sitting in the truck after a call you can't shake, you won't be scrolling through directories. So do the work now, while you're steady enough to read this. Save the numbers, decide which one fits which situation, and put them somewhere your hands can find them at 3 a.m.

This guide covers the lines that matter most to first responders, military members, veterans and the people who live with them, in Canada and in the US. It also covers something most lists skip: which line is for what. A crisis line, a counselling line and a peer chat room do different jobs. When you're already struggling, reaching the wrong one can feel like being turned away.

The one number to memorize: 988

988 works in both Canada and the United States. In Canada it is the 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline. You can call or text 9-8-8, and it runs 24 hours a day, every day of the year. In the US it is the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, and it is also free, confidential and available around the clock.

You don't have to be suicidal to call. If you're scared of where your head is going, if you can't stop replaying a scene, or if you're worried about someone else, that's reason enough. The people answering are trained for exactly these conversations. They won't be shocked by what you've seen.

If anyone's life is in immediate danger, yours included, call 911. 988 helps you talk it down. 911 sends people.

For US veterans and service members: 988, then press 1

If you served in the US military, dial 988 and press 1 to reach the Veterans Crisis Line. You can also text 838255. According to the Veterans Crisis Line, you don't need to be enrolled in VA benefits or health care to use it. It serves veterans, service members, Guard and Reserve members and the people who support them. Responders there are qualified to support veterans, so you won't have to translate the culture first.

For Canadian veterans, former RCMP and families: the VAC Assistance Service

The VAC Assistance Service is one of the most useful and least-known numbers in the country: 1-800-268-7708 (TTY 1-800-567-5803). It runs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It's free and confidential, and a mental health professional answers the phone, not a call centre script.

Be clear on who it covers, because many lists get this wrong. According to Veterans Affairs Canada, the service is for:

• Canadian Armed Forces Veterans
• Former members of the RCMP
• their families (children up to age 21, or 25 if they're full-time students)
• their caregivers

You don't need to be getting any other VAC services, and you don't need to apply. It offers between 1 and 20 hours of short-term support per issue, with referral to a local professional, usually within five working days. If you're outside Canada, you can call collect at 613-941-5842.

It is not the route for serving RCMP members. Serving members go through RCMP health services and their employee assistance program. Serving CAF members go through CAF health services and the Member Assistance Program.

Other Canadian lines worth saving

• Hope for Wellness Help Line: 1-855-242-3310. Immediate, culturally grounded support for First Nations, Inuit and Métis people anywhere in Canada, available by phone or online chat.
• 811. In most provinces and territories, 811 connects you to a provincial health line for non-urgent advice. It's useful when you can't tell whether what's happening to your sleep, your heart rate or your drinking needs a doctor.
• Your employer's EAP and peer team. Police services, fire departments, paramedic services and dispatch centres usually have an employee assistance program, and many have a trained peer team. Know the number before you need it.

Crisis line, counselling line or peer chat: which one, when

A lot of people hang up or never dial because they aren't sure their situation is "bad enough" for the line in front of them. Here is a simple way to sort it:

• Danger right now (a plan, means within reach, someone hurt or about to be): 911.
• Thoughts of suicide, or you're scared of your own state of mind: call or text 988. US veterans can press 1.
• Not in crisis, but something has to change (sleep is gone, anger is spilling over at home, a call won't leave): a counselling route such as the VAC Assistance Service, your EAP, or your family doctor.
• You need someone who's been there and you're safe tonight: peer support. That might be a peer team at work, OSISS or a similar program, or the Through The Fire peer chat.

Peer chat is honest about what it is. A moderator watches the room, and an automated system flags certain language. But it is not staffed every minute, and it is not a crisis line. If you're in danger, don't wait on a reply in a chat room.

Make it findable before you need it

Ten minutes now is worth a lot later:

1. Save 988, 911 and the one or two other lines that apply to you as contacts with plain names, like "Crisis 988" and "VAC Assistance".
2. Put the same numbers on paper in your wallet, your locker or your go-bag. Phones die.
3. Tell one person you trust which number you'd call, so they can hand you the phone if you can't decide.
4. If you're a partner or parent, save them in your phone too. Families call these lines more often than people realize.

If you'd like a short, plain read on why the job gets under your skin and why reaching out doesn't end a career, our Survival Guide was written for exactly this stretch. The 30-Day Journal gives you a few minutes a day to notice where you are before it becomes a crisis. Neither one replaces a phone call. They're for the days on either side of it.

For a longer list of Canadian and US resources, see our resources page.