Fountain Hills public safety agencies are for the time being without the services of its crisis assistance team, CARE/FH.

Fountain Hills Rural/Metro Fire Chief Randy Roberts said there is a need for crisis assistance, and he hopes to develop a new program in conjunction with town Volunteer Coordinator Heather Ware.

Roberts cited difficulty in getting trained volunteers involved in the program as a key reason for discontinuing the existing team.

He said the intense 40-hour training makes it difficult to find people who are able to commit.

Victoria Bertone, one of the founders of the CARE program in Fountain Hills, recently resigned as the only paid employee involved in the effort.

While Bertone agreed it is “tight going” getting and keeping volunteers, she cited a significant drop in the call volume as a factor in her decision to resign.

She said they were assisting with as many as 40 calls per month in January 2014. However that had dropped to 10 per month this past January.

“I don’t know what changed that,” Bertone said.

Bertone said she had completed her master’s degree in social work, adding to the education she could bring to the CARE job.

However, she added that her resignation should not have had an impact on the program.

There was a succession plan in place, and when she left she believed the program would continue.

Roberts said he believes such a program is important to the community.

It serves as a bridge during a traumatic event between firefighters and/or law enforcement and the next level of support for victims, family, friends or church.

It can provide something as simple as a ride following the ambulance to the hospital or information about resources available to cope with an accident or personal tragedy.

Nearly all of the major fire departments in the Valley use a crisis team with most of those being a paid, integrated portion of the respective departments.

The Fountain Hills program was founded in 2007 by Bertone and Fire Capt. Steve Boyer. It was done a strictly volunteer basis at that time.

Roberts said he is looking to the town for help in developing a volunteer program that requires less intense training along with a somewhat reduced role.

According to Bertone, CARE/FH is still available to help where it can as a federally-recognized nonprofit organization.

“With a myriad of resources and nearly eight years of experience, residents and non-residents are served as need arises,” Bertone said.

“Through decisions unbeknownst to me, CARE/FH is longer affiliated with Rural/Metro Fire Department or the Town of Fountain Hills, so volunteers no longer respond on-scene with emergency personnel.

“The program, however, does continue to serve as a clearinghouse of social service resources.”