r/Firefighting • u/leoxvirgo • 2d ago

Ask A Firefighter Iaff COE - mental health and substance use outcomes

Hey all, I left a serious boyfriend last year because he was avoidant and treating me poorly. He's a FT fire fighter AEMT and volunteer fire chief (rural New England). I just found out his new girlfriend helped him get into a 45 day IAFF COE program for substance use and mental health, which is awesome. I'm wondering what the long term outcomes are for this program. When we were together I helped arrange a crisis intervention for him. It got him the help he needed at the time but he clearly needed a higher level of care less than a year later. I miss him so much but in more concerned about his safety and well-being. I am just curious about the program and what it's done for people who have gone through it. I hope that he suffers less because of this program regardless of whether we are together or not. Thank you so much!

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u/theworldinyourhands 2d ago

IAFF COE is just another rehab with an IAFF sticker slapped on it.

Robin is amazing. Tell him to help her up the hill, he’ll know what I’m saying.

The cooks and food aren’t bad. You’ll lose a lot of people who go there to suicide and OD.

You get treated well, but also as a child at times..

The work only works if you work it.

I’ve been there twice

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u/leoxvirgo 2d ago

Thank you for your honesty. I have often wondered if he will possibly need another stint there in the future. He does respond to my check-ins once every couple of months, and I feel he responds with respect and honesty. He said that he's alert a lot from the program but that he is still adjusting to the new normal following his return home. That makes me think he's doing the work but that maybe it's harder than what he anticipated.