Columbus Division of Fire's Rapid Response Emergency and Addiction Crisis Team (REACT) has several new vehicles designed to better meet and transport people dealing with addiction and mental health crises.
The four new vehicles look like van-style ambulances, but CFD's medical director, Dr. Robert Lowe, said they are not first response vehicles.
Columbus Fire's REACT team uses the vehicles for referrals and patient follow-ups.
"The vehicle lends itself to a therapeutic environment, a slightly more private environment, yet maintains some ability to do some very specific directed treatments," Lowe said.
The words "Outreach medicine" are printed on the outside, with a QR code that links to resources. Inside, the vehicles look similar to CFD's other transports but have limited equipment.
Lowe said patients have already told the REACT team that the new vehicles are more comfortable than the SUVs they had been using before.
"Think about sitting in a car and trying to have that conversation with front seats and back seats, versus an ambulance where it's a space to meet face to face to be a little bit therapeutic," Lowe said.
He said the team often deals with people who are homeless, so having a sheltered, comfortable place to talk is extra important. The vehicles, which the fire department is calling alternative response vehicles, or ARVs, also are stocked with snacks. Lowe said food makes a good conversation starter and helps meet people's needs.
"The vehicle is important to Columbus Fire and it's important to our patients in the ability to sort of meet patients where they're at, to give them a private environment to engage with our providers, to begin to lay treatment plans and follow-up plans for addressing some of their health insecurities, food insecurities," Lowe said.
Lowe said the Columbus City Council gave the Division of Fire money for the vehicles, which cost less than a standard ambulance.
