Did five years volunteering with the Phoenix, Arizona Fire Department on their crisis wagons. They call them Alternative Response and Citizen's Assistance Program.

Pretty slick deal it was. Car dealers donate nine passenger vans. Fire department paints them up in their colors and fills them with electronics and gear. A person with EMS credentials who wants to get on the fire department drives the rig. A master's level counselor rides shotgun.

We lived, ate, slept at the firehouse but had no first due area, we roved everywhere we were needed. Rolled on all codes to help deal with the upset family, and we got called in for most anything that would get a fire company back in service. At residential fires we kept the family out of the way and helped get their support systems in place. We were even a mini-rehab unit.

Hard part is we had no easy runs...suicides, child drownings, other tragic deaths. Sometimes we'd get so many in a row dispatch would pull us out of service for a few hours for mental rehab.

At first, the firefighters resented having civilians in the firehouse. As they saw our work we were accepted and now there are similar programs everywhere. The big acceptance gesture was when the firefighter's union invited us to the union-management meetings as in interested third party. The union guys were concerned that the volunteer drivers didn't come off a full day of work then be driving all night tired.

Joy of it was learning the culture of the fire service. Didn't find it until I was in my fifties. If I'd known...if I'd only known....would have leaped in as a young man.

Ron