Tuesday’s apparent suicide of an Orange County Fire Authority captain is part of a sad trend among firefighters.

In 2015, 132 firefighters committed suicide in the U.S. – a bigger number than those who died of job-related injuries and illnesses, according to figures provided by the California Professional Firefighters union.

In addition, a national study of 1,000 firefighters, by researchers from Florida State University, revealed that nearly half of the respondents say they had suicidal thoughts at one or more points in their careers. About 15 percent reported one or more suicide attempts.

One cause may be post-traumatic stress syndrome, similar to that experienced by military personnel in combat, that can take an emotional toll on firefighters with their high-stress duties, according to the International Association of Firefighters.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department and California Highway Patrol are investigating what prompted Eric Weuve to jump from the Crown Valley Parkway overpass onto the I-5 freeway in Mission Viejo, where he was fatally struck by a big-rig.

On his Facebook Page, Weuve, 41, had said that he returned in November to firefighting after seven months of rehabilitation from major shoulder surgery.

However, it’s unknown if the injury contributed to his suicide, said Capt. Larry Kurtz of the Orange County Fire Authority: “The reason why anybody takes their own life is difficult to say.”

Flags at Orange County Fire Authority stations are flying at half-staff, and personnel are wearing black mourning bands over their badges in honor of Weuve.

Related Articles Orange County fire captain jumps on to freeway and dies Wednesday afternoon, a procession of OCFA vehicles and Orange County Sheriff’s Department motorcycles escorted a hearse that transported Weuve’s body from the Orange County Coroner’s Office to Shannon Family Mortuary in Orange.

The suicide of Weuve, an 11-year OCFA veteran assigned to Fire Station 64 in Westminster, has hit fellow firefighters hard, Kurtz said.

“Captain Weuve was a respected member of the OCFA family and community at large,” Kurtz said. “He will be sorely missed.”

The California Highway Patrol was notified Tuesday around 11 a.m. that a man had scaled the chain-link fence on the Crown Valley Parkway overpass. Minutes later, he apparently jumped and was struck by a tractor-trailer.

Personnel from OCFA’s Fire Station 9 in Mission Viejo responded to the incident and were shocked to learn the man was one of their own.

“We are a tight-knit family, and they soon realized who it was,” Kurtz said.

Weuve is survived by a 6-year-old daughter and a 15-year-old son. His funeral arrangements were pending.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7767 sschwebke@scng.com