Lane County trauma group honors first responders, volunteers at Heroes with Heart event

At the Downtown Athletic Club in Eugene, the Lane County Trauma Intervention Program honored 10 first responders and community members at its Heroes with Heart dinner and auction, putting a local spotlight on the people who stay after the sirens stop to help families cope.

The event, held Saturday, May 2 at 5:30 p.m., recognized work that is often invisible in the first hours after an emergency. Among the honorees were Lane County Sheriff’s Office deputies, a sign that the program was recognizing professionals who went beyond their normal duties to connect survivors with support after traumatic calls.

Lane County TIP says its volunteers are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and are called by law enforcement, fire and hospital personnel to help victims, families, friends, witnesses and bystanders. The volunteers respond to the emergency location within about 20 minutes and provide emotional support and practical resources at scenes involving unexpected death or injury, suicide, overdose, motor vehicle or other accidents, fire, sexual assault and other traumatic events.

That response is built on training. TIP says volunteers complete a 55-hour course and then spend three months in field training before they begin working calls. The organization says that model fills a critical gap by giving emergency personnel space to focus on the scene while someone else helps with the emotional fallout.

The need is real in Lane County. TIP says it has already assisted more than 800 residents in under three years, and a 2025 report put its call volume at about 15 to 20 calls per month. The local chapter launched in April 2023, after an official April 3, 2023 launch, making this year’s recognition event part of a relatively new but rapidly growing countywide network.

The program has also added a Senior Crisis Team for older adults in crisis or seniors referred by emergency responders. That matters in a county where crises can leave adults, parents, teachers and students unprepared for the emotional aftermath, according to the Oregon Health Authority. The public health burden is not only what happens at the scene, but what follows in homes, schools and neighborhoods.

Trauma Intervention Programs, Inc. says the volunteer model began in 1985 in San Diego County and now reaches hundreds of communities through affiliates. In Lane County, Heroes with Heart served both as a fundraiser and as a public thank-you to the people and volunteers who help survivors start recovery when the emergency response has ended.