By Sean Riley – President & Founder Safe Call Now
A dear friend of mine always says and he’s right, “We treat our cars better than we treat our first responders in addiction who are going to die”. When the red lights coms on in our vehicles we immediately take the vehicle into the mechanic and have it assessed, evaluated and fixed. When we’re dealing with the alcoholic or addicted first responder, the red lights come on and as a profession we will become enablers to protect our partners (blind loyalty), try to fix the problems ourselves (which only a professional can do) or cast them aside and throw them away as if it is someone else’s problem (the easy way out).
The diseases of addiction and mental health when combined are two of the deadliest diseases known to mankind, yet they are the only two diseases that we allow the first responder who’s brain is incapable of making logical decisions to dictate the terms of treatment. Maybe for fear of not offending them, ending their career, who knows there are many other reasons usually associated with “The Thin Blue, Red, Green Lines”. Ultimately I have determined that the main cause is that “It’s always been done this way in the past”.
