ICFD welcomes new emotional support dog named Courage

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA) - Courage, a facility dog with an important job has joined the Imperial County Fire Department (ICFD).

Courage came through a program run by Imperial County Behavioral Health. The program partners with the Humane Society, training dogs to become facility dogs.

After spending about eight months with Behavioral Health, Courage was adopted by the fire department, and has been with them since February..

He is part of the department's peer-to-peer support team, which focuses on firefighter's mental health.

When firefighters respond to traumatic calls, Courage can help with crisis intervention, giving firefighters a chance to decompress, and get grounded.

Firefighters often respond to traumatic calls like child abuse, overdoses, and death. And sometimes just having Courage there is enough.

"In a person's lifespan, they'll experience one to three traumatic events in their life. And in the career of a fire fighter or first responder, we'll experience anywhere in the thousands so, on average I think it's one to two thousand events. That's why the fire service has been pushing for support dogs," said Fire Captain Daniel Martinez with ICFD.

The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation estimates that at least 100 firefighters die by suicide each year due to Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome and depression.