‍Excerpted from the CPSE Center for Innovation Strategic Scan #3

Across the country, local governments are facing an increasingly complex reality. Emergency responders are often called to situations involving behavioral health crises, substance use disorders, homelessness, and other social challenges that traditional public safety models were never designed to address.

As communities seek more effective and compassionate responses, co-responder programs are rapidly emerging as one of the most promising innovations in public safety.

What Is a Co-Responder Program?

Co-responder programs bring together emergency responderswith professionals such as:

• Behavioral health clinicians
• Social workers
• Community health specialists
• Case managers
• Substance abuse counselors

Instead of relying solely on law enforcement or fire and EMS personnel, these multidisciplinary teams respond together to individuals experiencing nonviolent behavioral health or social service crises.

The goal is simple: provide the right response with the right professionals at the right time.

Rather than transporting individuals to emergency rooms or repeatedly cycling them through the criminal justice system, co-responder teams connect people with the long-term services they need.

Why Communities Are Investing

According to the CPSE Strategic Scan, nearly half of responding fire and EMS agencies either currently operate or are developing a co-responder program. This reflects a growing recognition that many community challenges cannot be solved through emergency response alone.

Communities are pursuing these programs to:

• Reduce repeat emergency calls
• Improve behavioral health outcomes
• Better serve vulnerable populations
• Reduce unnecessary emergency department utilization
• Strengthen partnerships across government, healthcare, and nonprofit organizations
• Improve overall community wellness

The approach shifts public safety from simply responding to emergencies toward preventing future crises.

No One-Size-Fits-All Model

One of the report's most important findings is that successful co-responder programs are highly customized.

Some programs are led by fire departments.  Others are coordinated through EMS agencies, public health departments, behavioral health organizations, or partnerships with law enforcement.

Coverage also varies significantly:

• Single-city programs
• Countywide initiatives
• Multi-jurisdictional partnerships
• Regional collaborations

Service hours differ as well. While some communities provide 24/7 coverage, many operate during peak demand hours or as pilot programs before expanding services.

The lesson is clear: communities should design programs around local needs rather than adopting a single national model.

The Importance of Community Assessment

Before launching a co-responder initiative, communities mustunderstand the problems they are trying to solve.

The Strategic Scan recommends beginning with a comprehensivecommunity needs assessment that identifies:

• Frequent users of emergency services
• Behavioral health service gaps
• Social determinants contributing to recurring crises
• Existing community partners
• Opportunities for coordinated care

Data-driven planning helps ensure that resources are aligned with actual community needs rather than assumptions.

Sustainable Funding Matters

Many early co-responder programs were launched using grant funding.  While grants can help communities innovate, they rarely provide a permanent solution.

The report encourages agencies to develop sustainable funding strategies that may include:

• Local government funding
• Healthcare partnerships
• Medicaid reimbursement where available
• Hospital partnerships
• Regional cost-sharing agreements
• Public-private partnerships

Long-term financial planning allows programs to mature beyond pilot status and demonstrate measurable community value.

Measuring Success

One challenge identified by participating agencies is demonstrating return on investment. Traditional public safety metrics may not capture the full value of co-responder programs.

Communities are increasingly measuring outcomes such as:

• Reduced repeat 9-1-1 callers
• Fewer emergency department transports
• Improved connections to behavioral health services
• Reduced hospital utilization
• Better community satisfaction
• Improved responder safety
• Long-term cost avoidance

Building strong data systems from the beginning helps leaders communicate impact to elected officials, funding partners, and residents.

Preparing the Workforce

Technology and partnerships alone cannot ensure success. Co-responder programs require professionals who are prepared to work across organizational cultures and disciplines.

The Strategic Scan emphasizes:

• Cross-disciplinary training
• Shared communication protocols
• Role clarity
• Wellness support for responders
• Strong leadership collaboration

Investing in people is just as important as investing inprogram design.

A Future-Ready Approach to Public Safety

Perhaps the most important takeaway is that co-responder programs represent more than a new emergency response model, they reflect a broader shift in how communities think about public service. Today's challenges rarely fit neatly within a single department or agency. Future-ready governments increasingly solve problems through collaboration, data-informed decision making, and integrated service delivery.

Co-responder programs embody this philosophy by bringing together public safety, healthcare, behavioral health, and community organizations to improve outcomes while using public resources more effectively. As local governments continue adapting to evolving community expectations, these collaborative models offer a compelling example of innovation that puts people, not systems, at the center of service delivery.

This article is based on the Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE) Center for Innovation Strategic Scan #3 entitled Community Needs and Co-Responder Programs: Goals, Design and Data.  Data for this report were gathered in January and February of 2026 from fire chiefs representing agencies accredited by the Center for Public Safety Excellence® (CPSE®) Commission on Fire Accreditation International® (CFAI®), as well as those holding the Chief Fire Officer® (CFO) credential from the CPSE Commission on Professional Credentialing® (CPC®). You can view the entire report on the Alliance for Innovation Member Circle here.  Visit the CPSE Innovation Center here (CPSE Center for Innovation - CPSE Center for Innovation).