Northern Lakes Fire District partners with 208 Recovery

Northern Lakes Fire District is partnering with 208 Recovery to bring help to those struggling with substance abuse or a mental health crisis.

Firefighter EMTs who work for the NLFD often have to respond to calls where someone is in a crisis. They can transport that person to a hospital for immediate treatment, but what happens after the person leaves that setting? Now the NLFD is able to steer those in need to peer-led support services with 208 Recovery.

Tess Reasor, 208 Recovery executive director, said she connected with Northern Lakes Fire Chief Kevin Croffoot and asked what he thought about integrating their peer program through the fire department.

“Everything worked in a very short timeframe. It was like the stars aligned," Reasor said.

Croffoot said he was all in.

“She kind of hook, line and sinkered me because she knew this stuff was important to me,” Croffoot said. “Dependency problems and mental health, so many times those go together. To have an available resource that's willing to do this is outstanding.”

208 Recovery utilizes state-certified peer recovery coaches who have personal experience dealing with substance or mental health crises and are stable in their recovery since. Through their training, recovery coaches can give those seeking help the proper resources.

“Someone may be uninsured or they may not know where to go to get detox or to get inpatient and outpatient services,” Reasor said. “Our program allows us to walk alongside them for a 30-day period. Within those 30 days, we're connecting them to services and following up with them to make sure that they're getting what they need.”

For the firefighter EMTs who respond to calls, the objective is straightforward: Say they work with 208 Recovery and offer their services to the person in crisis. The service is voluntary, so whoever is approached may accept or decline 208 Recovery’s help.

Croffoot said if they can refer one person to 208 Recovery and it's successful, "that's a win.”

Northern Lakes is the first fire district in the state to work with 208 Recovery or a similar program. They are hoping the partnership can take off and include other stations and districts across Idaho.

“To be the start of something can be intimidating, but I look at it as inspirational,” Croffoot said. “I have no doubt that the recovery program will do great things with the people that get referred there, and that's comforting.”

208 Recovery is funded by a five-year renewable grant and does not cost the NLFD, taxpayers or those seeking treatment anything.

“A lot of people always worry about the cost of help, so to have to have the resources available to us to give out is great,” Croffoot said.

Now the goal is kickoff the partnership.

“When people can come to the table and say the Northern Lakes Fire District and 208 Recovery helped them, those stories make a difference,” Reasor said. “Our number one priority is our community and we want to help people get the care that they've never had before.”

    208 Recovery Executive Director Tess Reasor gives a presentation on her program to the Northern Lakes Fire District.
  

    208 Recovery Executive Director Tess Reasor and Northern Lakes Fire District Fire Chief Kevin Croffoot.