RESTON, Va. — The Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE®) Center for Innovation released its third Strategic Scan report on Monday, focusing on community needs and co-responder programs.
Co-responder programs pair first responders with other human services professionals, such as clinicians and social workers, to help address gaps in community health services, repeat 911 callers and excessive use of hospital emergency departments.
The CPSE CFI and Marist University team collected data about these programs in January and February. Additionally, fire chiefs described their challenges related to staffing, regulatory authority, and calculating benefits and return on investments.
From those insights, the Strategic Scan details the primary drivers of program development as well as key considerations for program design and funding. The Strategic Scan also offers six actionable takeaways for fire service leaders:
- Conduct a comprehensive community needs assessment.
- Plan for sustainable funding models that reduce reliance on short-term grants.
- Prioritize workforce readiness and support for co-responder personnel.
- Establish clear and measurable program goals.
- Use program data to demonstrate value and inform decision-making.
- Design co-responder programs with adaptability in mind.
“This strategic scan surfaces a number of interesting findings about the state of co-responder programs,” said Alexander Henderson, PhD, CTO, who serves as the CPSE CFI Board vice president and associate professor at Marist University. “The significant proportion of agencies operating or developing a program — nearly half — demonstrates the willingness of fire and EMS leaders to attempt to solve some of our most pressing community challenges. Additionally, the diversity of program design is fascinating, with leaders developing programs with differing lead agencies, deployment hours, and partnerships that are right for their communities.”
The Strategic Scans are part of the CPSE CFI Actionable Research program, where CFAI-accredited agencies and CPC Chief Fire Officer® designees are asked to share their approaches to emerging issues. A panel of progressive, mission-oriented fire chiefs to help the CPSE CFI team develop survey questions and interpret the results.
Columbus (Ga.) Fire-EMS Chief Salvatore Scarpa, CFO — who serves as a CFAI commissioner representative on the CPSE CFI Board of Directors — explained the impact of his department’s co-responder program: “The Columbus Correct Care program was created to ensure that residents in crisis receive the most appropriate response, not just the fastest one. By combining emergency response with care coordination and comprehensive health support, we are improving outcomes for vulnerable individuals, reducing repeat system use and strengthening the overall effectiveness of public safety in Columbus.”
CPSE launched the Center for Innovation in 2024 to serve as a catalyst for innovation in the fire and emergency service. FireRescue1 hosts the CFI Innovation Museum Hub, which showcases proven practices of CPSE agencies and designees on the most pressing topics for the fire and emergency service.
Download the CPSE CFI Strategic Scan on Community Needs and Co-Responder Programs.
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