Firefighters Couldn’t Rely on a Police Response, so They Searched and Chased People

Firefighters Couldn’t Rely on a Police Response, so They Searched and Chased People

In the weeks after El Cajon police stopped automatically responding to certain crisis calls, firefighters grappled with what that policy shift meant for their own responses – and safety.  On June 3, a Heartland Fire & Rescue captain injured his knee restraining an intoxicated woman who ran toward the road after threatening to kill herself. He was forced to go on leave after the injury, records obtained after a public-records request show.  A few…