All first responders who work for agencies in Montgomery County will get free game vouchers, free pizza and other perks to give them a fun-filled day with their family.
“This opioid epidemic has made for a difficult year in the county,” said Nicholas Hosford, assistant fire chief with the Dayton Fire Department. This year their personnel went on 3,000 emergency calls above the average, he said, mostly due to opioid overdoses. “Those calls take an emotional toll… they carry some of that stress back to their families,” Hosford said.
RELATED: Soaring overdoses strain emergency crews from neighboring cities
According to the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office, there have been 570 accidental drug overdose deaths in the county this year. Totals for June through December are still being finalized as autopsy reports are completed, but it appears the number of deaths slowed in the second half of the year.
Some of that progress can be attributed to the work of first responders, said Mark Hess, chief of the Five Rivers Metroparks police and past president of the Montgomery County Association of Police Chiefs.
“We’re not going to rest,” he said. But these appreciation days will give individual first responders a chance to unwind and relieve some stress, Hess said.
“This event gives us a chance to thank those that do so much,” said Jonah Sandler, founder and CEO of Scene75 Entertainment.
County first responders who want to attend one of the events will get instructions on how to register online or in person with ADAMHS or Scene75.
RELATED: County surpasses 2016 fatal overdose total before June
“There are times when this is a thankless job,” said Helen Jones-Kelley, executive director of ADAMHS. The agency hopes this event can serve as that overdue kudos for working with such skill and compassion during a difficult year, she said.
Both Hosford and Hess said Scene75 should prepare for some good-hearted rivalry when the area’s cops and firefighters hit the gaming floor.
“There’s going to be some competition,” Hosford said.
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