PORTLAND, Ore. ( KOIN ) — Over the next several weeks, Portland Fire and Rescue will roll out suicide prevention training to firehouses all across the city.
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PF&R Lieutenant Paramedic Sean Fogarty told KOIN 6 News he and his colleagues at North Portland Firehouse 24 welcome the training.
“We’re ready to treat people in a variety of ways,” Fogarty said. “We’ve got a plan for all of it.”
Building that confidence took time, especially a few years back when first responders were overwhelmed by suicide calls from the nearby Fremont Bridge.
Back in November, PF&R helped Portland police rescue a woman in crisis from under the bridge .
PF&R said it’s due to underfunding of the Portland Police Bureau service that firefighters often respond to these calls more frequently. They’re often the first to arrive.
As a result, PF&R has decided to ramp up its crisis training from just 60 firefighters to everyone.
“What we quickly found out was really what we were practicing was empathetic communication, de-escalation,” Fogarty said.