THE FIRE WATCH

Alarming stats from the USO show suicide rates among active military are at an all-time high since the group started keeping records after 9/11.

Monday is the deadline to register to vote in the Dec. 7 special election to fill the late Tommy Hazouri’s seat on Jacksonville City Council.

A special election for the Jacksonville City Council seat vacated by Tommy Hazouri, who died earlier this month, is set for December and at least five people are attempting to run for the open spot.

With an estimated 20 U.S. military veterans taking their lives every day, a Jacksonville-based group hopes to make that troubling trend a thing of the past, and they’re challenging you to get involved.

As Americans in Jacksonville and throughout the country spend Memorial Day reflecting on and honoring the men and women who died in service, it’s also important to remember the service members who have returned home with the invisible scars of war.

Bean met Dempsey at the 5 Star Veterans Center, a local charity that gets service members back on their feet. It’s now the model for The Fire Watch, the charity in Northeast Florida aimed at ending veteran suicide. The Fire Watch is building a network of so-called Watch Standers, volunteers who are trained to identify the warning signs and step in. Since it started in May, 450 people have signed up to be Watch Standers. If you want to be a Watch Stander, go to TheFireWatch.org, click the “Watch Standers” button at the top of the screen and then register.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Every year The Players Championship pays tribute to veteran and the men and women serving our country through its Military Appreciation Day. The annual golf tournament had to cancel its traditional ceremony and concert due to public health concerns. News4Jax and The Players are teaming up for a fundraiser to help local groups that support our military, including the Wounded Warrior Project and The Fire Watch, a nonprofit that aims to identify and help veterans and service members in crisis. The mission is simple: raise money for nonprofit groups such as the Wounded Warrior Project and The Fire Watch, to end veteran suicide and give veterans the resources they need. Then let us know how you plan to make a difference in our community, whether it’s through Match4Military or another way.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Mayor Lenny Curry made a pitch Wednesday to state lawmakers to bring more money into Jacksonville in order to keep pedestrians safe, help fight violence and work to prevent veterans from committing suicide. Curry asked for an additional $2 million to fund three programs that he believes are important to Jacksonville: pedestrian crossing installation, Cure Violence and “The Fire Watch." We’re seeking funding for pedestrian safety, funding for Cure Violence, which helps intervene in stopping violent crime, and money to help us in preventing veteran suicide,” Curry said. The mayor also wants an additional $750,000 from the state to fund an expansion of the Cure Violence program that began in June. The city will also plug in an additional $2.4 million to add an additional Cure Violence site between Edgewood Avenue and Interstate 295.

CNN, POOLJACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Five counties in Northeast Florida are teaming up to end the growing crisis of veteran suicides across the nation. The city of Jacksonville has joined Baker, Clay, Nassau and St. Johns counties to save lives through a program called "The Fire Watch." The program is designed to help veterans like Christopher Dempsey, who has battled suicidal thoughts. More than 20 veterans die by suicide every day, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. With the right relationships, proper tools and resources, Dempsey turned his life around.

CNN, POOLJACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Five counties in Northeast Florida are teaming up to end the growing crisis of veteran suicides across the nation. The city of Jacksonville has joined Baker, Clay, Nassau and St. John's counties to save lives through a program called "The Fire Watch." More than 20 veterans die by suicide every day, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. "The truth of the matter is veteran suicide is actually getting worse every day, not better... we decided to step up, get off the sidelines and get into the battle." Jacksonville will serve as the legal home of "The Fire Watch" and coordinate with the surrounding counties via inter-local agreements.