There’s been a rise in behavioral health needs. East Pierce Fire is hiring an expert
Community resource paramedic Jen Killion started a new team at East Pierce Fire & Rescue about four years ago. Now, she’s looking to add to it.
The fire department is currently accepting applications for a behavioral health specialist to work with Killion and the emergency medical services division to serve residents who may have “complex medical, behavioral and social service needs.”
Killion has been with the fire department for about 16 years. In spring 2018, she “came off the line” to establish the department’s first-ever community resource paramedic program, which she runs by herself.
“We had identified that we had some patients that were repeat callers to 911 whose needs really were better met outside of the 911 environment,” Killion said. “They did have needs, but they were better served by other resources in the community.”
Through the program, Killion helps connect people with local resources and case managers that specialize in substance abuse treatment, mental and behavioral health, among other things.
Killion said the number of people who called 911 decreased by 44 percent a year after she established the program.
Prior to 2018, the fire department did not have a program to connect people with the appropriate resources. Killion said over the past few years, the department noticed an increase in calls from those who needed behavioral and mental health assistance.
A lot of people have a different perception of what an emergency is, Killion said. Some of the calls would come from people who do not know where else to turn to because the health care system has become very “complex,” she said.
When firefighters respond to a call and feel that the person would benefit from the community resource paramedic program, they would make a referral for Killion. The next day, she would develop a plan from there to get them the services they need.
“I don’t have anywhere near the education and experience as somebody with a clinical background in mental and behavioral health,” Killion said. “We wanted to have somebody in-house that was working in partnership with me.”
Killion said although firefighters and paramedics are trained on how to interact with people that need mental and behavioral health assistance, the training does not compare to those who may have gone to school to study mental and behavioral health or who have done social work.
On a typical day, the behavioral health specialist would spend time with Killion, sorting through referrals they get from firefighters and paramedics. Then, they would reach out to different resources or visit a person’s home, she said.
“That’s much of what I do now. It’s just they’ll be having more focus on mental and behavioral health aspects,” Killion said.
Other fire departments that have something similar to Killion’s program include the Tacoma Fire Department, Central Pierce Fire & Rescue as well as West Pierce Fire & Rescue.
Applications are due by the end of the day Jan. 31 and will be reviewed Feb. 1, according to the job listing. Initial interviews will be scheduled beginning Feb. 7 and in-person interviews will be scheduled beginning Feb. 21.
The candidate is expected to start working on April 1. The salary range is $91,956 to $111,804 per year. More information on the job listing can be found at governmentjobs.com.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with information about how the number of 911 calls the fire department receives has changed. The number of people who called 911 decreased by 44 percent a year after the program began.
