Tara Lal dedicates her time to changing the public narrative around suicide and mental illness, through the integration of research and storytelling. Tara is a senior firefighter with Fire and Rescue NSW who joined the service in 2005.
Her passion for supporting the mental health of firefighters evolved partly from her own experiences of growing up in a family deeply impacted by suicide and mental ill health, and partly from witnessing the devastating impact of mental illness and suicide on her colleagues at Fire and Rescue.
Tara is a long-time member of the peer support team and has managed the psychological wellbeing program at Fire and Rescue. She is also the internationally published author of Standing on My Brother’s Shoulders: making peace with grief and suicide, a PhD candidate at the University of New England (focusing on understanding the impact of suicide on firefighters), and a finalist in the Rotary Inspirational Woman of the Year awards.
Tara recently cycled unsupported across Australia, raising money and awareness for mental health and suicide prevention.
Tara says, “It’s my pleasure and privilege to be an ambassador for Fortem, most especially because I believe wholeheartedly in their approach, which aligns exactly with what I see, hear and know from the research is needed and called for in the space of first responder health and wellbeing. A shift away from the bio-medical model towards a social, relational and cultural model.”