A call about a man pouring gasoline onto a fire near a West Portsmouth home quickly became something much bigger than a fire complaint.
It became another example of how often firefighters, deputies, and EMS crews end up on the front line when someone is in a mental-health crisis.
The call came in shortly before 9 a.m. Thursday.
A caller reported a man burning items in front of a residence, close to the house, and pouring gasoline onto the fire.
Firefighters responded first.
By the time they arrived, the flames were gone and the fire was only smoldering. But responders found the man still sitting on the porch and soon learned there was another concern entirely.
He had been placed under an emergency mental-health order for transport to Southern Ohio Medical Center for evaluation.
Firefighters requested a deputy.
Then deputies requested an ambulance to stand by.
For several minutes, the scene shifted from putting out a possible fire to safely getting a man in crisis into medical care.
Deputies eventually advised that they had made contact with him and told the ambulance crew it was safe to come in.
The good news: the man cooperated.
He was transported to the SOMC emergency room, deputies secured his residence, and the mental-health paperwork was turned over to hospital staff.
No criminal charges were listed in the sheriff’s log.
More Than Fighting Fires and Catching Criminals
Calls like this show how broad the job of a first responder has become.
A firefighter may be dispatched because someone is pouring gasoline on a fire. A deputy may be requested because that person is in crisis. An ambulance crew may then be needed to get him safely to a hospital.
In the span of less than an hour, the same call can move from fire danger to law enforcement to mental-health care.
And first responders have to make those transitions while trying to keep the person in crisis, themselves, and everyone nearby safe.
In this case, what could have become a dangerous fire or a confrontation ended quietly: the fire was out, the man cooperated, and he was taken for evaluation.