N.H. Fire Department Introduces `Safe Station` for Drug Addicts

May 05--MANCHESTER -- Christopher Hickey and many of his peers in the Manchester Fire Department see their public service role as going well beyond fighting fires.

So about a month ago, when the relative of a fellow firefighter struggling with opioid addiction was on the brink of suicide, that firefighter took it upon himself to say, "Why don't you just come down here (to the fire station) before you do anything drastic."

"He actually showed up," Hickey recalls. "We were kind of surprised about that. I went downstairs and talked to him and got him hooked up with Hope for Recovery in about 20 minutes. Forty-eight hours later, he was on a plane to California for a drug rehabilitation program."

That experience was the genesis of "Safe Station: Your Connection to Recovery," an ambitious plan to open all 10 fire stations in the city as safe havens for drug addicts who don't know where else to turn.

An EMS officer and paramedic with the Manchester Fire Department, Hickey was the featured speaker at a Wednesday news conference in the Central Fire Station, where "Safe Station" was unveiled. Also on hand for the event were representatives of the other program partners.

Within three weeks of receiving the written proposal from Hickey for "Safe Station," Mayor Ted Gatsas had approved the program and corralled an impressive array of collaborators.

AMR ambulance service will provide emergency transportation as needed; the Hope for Recovery organization will direct the client to the right treatment center; the Granite United Way's "211" community resources hotline will be the call-in number for addicts in crisis; Catholic Medical Center, Anthem and the United Way are among those who have signed up to help with funding.

"When you can bring the nonprofit world, the public sector, the business community and members of the community at large together, you can make a difference in this epidemic," said Gatsas, surrounded by fire trucks, fire department personnel, and representatives of all the agencies involved. "If someone is ready to make a change in their life, it's important that we get them the help they need right away."

For now, the Safe Station program will rely on an existing 211 telephone hotline, now used to refer callers to a variety of community services. But Gatsas said he hopes to some day have a 511 or other number dedicated to the opioid crisis.

The existing 211 line has been in service for six years, with 45,000 calls per year, according to Patrick Tufts, president and CEO of the Granite United Way. It provided referral on everything from addiction, to child care, to homelessness.

"Now, people can call 211 from anywhere in the state and get a bilingual person who will connect them to a recovery coach," he said.

Addicts can also walk into any fire station in Manchester, any time of the day or night. The in-house company officer at that station will contact dispatch to temporarily take the company out of service under a new code -- "Code Hope" -- until the situation is resolved.

The program is intended to be a safe haven for addicts who decide to go straight, not for those possessing drugs or weapons. Anyone seeking assistance will be required to drop needles or any drug paraphernalia into a collection bin to be located at each fire station.

If any weapons or illegal substances are brought to a station, Manchester police will be notified.

dsolomon@unionleader.com

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