Tulsa Fire Department presenters outlined a set of community‑focused programs that pair trained clinical staff and firefighter‑paramedics with outreach and follow‑up services, saying the units reduce 9‑1‑1 use and connect people to social services.

Officials described three related programs: ART 1, a co‑response team staffed with a firefighter‑paramedic trained in crisis intervention and a COPES clinician from Family & Children’s Services; ART 2, a community‑paramedicine unit placed in downtown Tulsa that provides medical assessments, outreach and wellness checks; and TFD Cares, a case‑management program that connects high utilizers of 9‑1‑1 or vulnerable residents to social‑service partners. Presenters said the overdose response team pairs a community paramedic with a peer recovery support specialist to respond to overdoses and provide follow‑up.

A Tulsa Fire Department spokesperson said ART 1 responds to mental and behavioral health crisis calls citywide and can route people to alternate destinations such as crisis care centers or urgent recovery centers when appropriate. The spokesperson said about 20 percent of ART 1 responses involve people experiencing homelessness and that the team also responds to high utilizers of 9‑1‑1.

A Family & Children’s Services COPES clinician (role described in the presentation) was identified as the provider of licensed counseling and case management services in ART 1. Presenters said the clinician can schedule appointments directly for individuals and help link them to continuous care so the interaction does not end with the emergency response.

A presenter described ART 2 as staffed by two sworn firefighter‑paramedics trained in community paramedicine who perform outreach, wellness checks and, when needed, clinical assessments and wound management. The presentation said ART 2 operates primarily in the downtown area and can respond in place of other emergency apparatus to provide longer, non‑police interventions for people in crisis.

Presenters described TFD Cares (Community Assistance, Referrals and Educational Services) as a program that uses case managers supported by hospital and foundation partners to reduce 9‑1‑1 usage by linking people to housing, food, medical care and other supports. The presentation cited a University of Tulsa study (2017) finding about a 70 percent reduction in 9‑1‑1 usage for a pilot period (January–March of the study period). Presenters also said TFD Cares has tracked internal metrics showing reductions in 9‑1‑1 utilization (figures presented ranged from 70 percent to an 80 percent reduction in different program descriptions) and that about 52 percent of referred needs are resolved within two weeks in their tracking system.

On overdose response, presenters said the team provides Narcan and fentanyl test strips, builds rapport with people who have overdosed and provides follow‑up and referral to treatment. A peer recovery specialist who spoke in the presentation described personal experience in recovery and said the lived‑experience role helps build trust and connect people to services.

No formal vote or budget appropriation was recorded in the presentation. Presenters said the programs rely on internal department staff, partnerships with health and social‑service providers, philanthropic support for case managers, and targeted harm‑reduction supplies.