Increasing Lethal Means Safety and Safety Planning

Being safe starts with awareness. Create a safety plan and learn how to protect yourself and others.

Safety Planning

A safety plan includes 6 steps:

• Warning signs:
  How will you know that the safety plan should be used? What are your signs of a crisis?
• Internal coping strategies:
  What are things you can do to distract yourself from a crisis without contacting others?
• Social contacts to distract from crisis:
  Write down the name and phone number of 3 people or places that provide healthy distractions.
• Family members or friends who can offer help:
  Write down the name and phone number of 4 people who you can call for help.
• Professionals and agencies to contact for help:
  Write the name and number for 4 professionals and agencies that can help you in a crisis. This can include the Veteran Crisis Line, your doctor, or a local emergency department.
• Making the environment safe:
  Write your plan for limiting access to lethal means, or removing them from your environment. Additional lethal means information can be found here.

Access your VA safety plan here. VA Mobile Safety Plan App

Request a free Gun Lock from the Coalition for a Safer Delaware Info@decagv.org