Guest Column                                                     April 8, 2009   

New help for those who help us in an emergency

By Brad Owen
Lieutenant Governor
We pay people to work around the clock in Washington to respond to emergencies and help keep us safe in our homes. In doing so, they deal with some very horrific situations that most of us couldn’t imagine.

Often the price for this service is much higher than the salaries of our incredibly dedicated public safety personnel.   Let’s look at the headlines from last few days alone:

• In Pierce County a man shot his five children and then himself.   Those who responded – especially the ones first on the scene – will now have the aftermath of those terrible events seared in their memories for life.
• A Stryker from Fort Lewis slammed into a pick-up truck, killing the truck’s 55-year-old driver on impact.
• A police officer in East Wenatchee shot a man in the mouth when the man pointed a shotgun at another officer. 
• A Seattle police officer is facing charges of domestic violence at his home in Sammamish. He is accused of grabbing his wife by her wrists then cutting her thumb with a butcher knife.

The first three examples point to the kinds of incidents police and fire crews must prepare themselves for every day on the job.  Without making any excuses or assumptions with regards to the officer cited in the fourth example, it is the kind of thing that we hear about all too often as our public servants try to cope personally with what they encounter on the job.

The price is also a personal one.  How often can even the most hardened among them face the daily onslaught of fights, rapes, stabbings, flames, medical emergencies and even death without it taking some kind of personal toll?

Some find solace in drink or drugs. Some become so affected by their jobs they choose their own end by overdose or self-inflicted gunshot.  The suicide rate among members of law enforcement is reported to be as much as three times higher than that of the general population.  Still others take their pain out on other people. 

Sean Riley, a former Kirkland and California police officer, is among those who faced those demons himself and practically hit bottom.  He looked around and saw not only the downward spiral of his own life, but many of his peers who were engaged in the same personal battle.

Fortunately, Sean has taken a different approach.  He took an idea to help others in his circle and is close to making it reality by creating a crisis referral service strictly for public safety personnel.  Safe Call Now is the result. When it is fully up-and-running, probably this July, the new program will include a toll-free help line, a Web site and other resources for law enforcement, firefighters, correctional workers and others.   Here they can talk to their professional peers trained in crisis intervention and familiar with the stresses from the job.

There is also a societal price to losing a public safety officer. It costs an estimated $300,000 to train and keep someone on the job for five years. Every time we lose a public safety worker to on-the-job stress, we must replace him or her with another.   Of course all of that adds up too.

The legislature understands this need and thankfully unanimously passed a bill this session that sets up new training for law enforcement to recognize warning signs and ensures that anyone using Safe Call Now can do so confidentially, without fear of risking their jobs.

I was more than happy to request, then help guide, this measure through the legislature, and was extremely appreciative that it found the support that it did.   I am also pleased by the thoughtful endorsement of Governor Gregoire, who signed the bill on April 8.

While the measure won’t stop the violence and the accidents, it will help those who must deal with their outfall.  We are thankful for their service, and grateful to people like Sean Riley who are stepping up to help.

With these services in place, I would encourage anyone who is in the field of public safety, or is close to someone who is, to take advantage of them.  By doing so you could save a career - or a life.

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News release on Safe Call now legislation

Print-quality photo of Lt. Governor Owen