Blue Line Outdoors – Fellowship On The River

When Tehama County’s Jason Thatcher spoke with me recently about Blue Line Outdoors, he had already put in 14 hours working as a fishing guide and his day wasn’t even close to over. Although his next day would start at 4 a.m., he sounded energetic and positive. He needs to be with all the different hats he wears. Jason is a husband and a dad foremost and, with his wife, Holly, runs River Pursuit Guide Service and Blue Line Outdoors. I could hear the enthusiasm in his voice, even after such a long day, and I suggested that he was doing exactly the job he was made for. In his humility, Jason admitted that this is a question he still wrestles with.

In 2019 he was medically retired after serving for 10 years as a Deputy Sheriff in Humboldt and Shasta counties. It was then that all the pieces started to come together to create Blue Line Outdoors. The organization provides free fishing and hunting excursions for law enforcement officers who have been involved in recent critical incidents.

Decompression after critical incidents

In law enforcement, a critical incident is a sudden, unexpected and overwhelming event, one that is out of the range of expected experiences. Such an event, perhaps an officer-involved shooting, can make an officer feel intense fear, helplessness, horror and the sense of being completely out of control. After such an abnormal event, officers can experience reactions that are disturbing and difficult to accept.

In his work as a deputy sheriff Jason had been involved in critical incidents himself, and after one of these events, his fishing guide friends invited him to get out on the water for some decompression time. The fellowship and time on the river seemed to have healing powers that day and Jason began to realize how therapeutic such experiences could be.

Not long after the river trip, Jason heard from a guiding friend about another law enforcement officer who was under a lot of stress. This time Jason offered to be the one to take the officer out on the river. It was a positive experience and Jason started taking deputies out fishing on his days off.

One day several deputies climbed in the boat and saw each other for the first time after a recent critical incident. The tension was really high at first but, after they began talking to one another, Jason said, “It was like watching a weight being lifted from their shoulders.” Jason realized then that his boat was a safe place to gather, where officers could open up about their experiences.

Community support has been outstanding

Shortly after this, Jason asked himself, “Why don’t I do this all the time?” Jason and Holly started researching how to run a non-profit and began to share their ideas with others. Donations started pouring in and the community support has been outstanding. The Thatchers are still in the process of gaining non-profit status for Blue Line Outdoors and have already hosted close to 220 officers.

Officers needing decompression time have come from all over the state. They hear about Blue Line Outdoors and spread the word among their fellow officers. The most beautiful thing that has happened over and over, is officers returning after their own decompression time to volunteer with others. A post on Blue Line Outdoors’s Facebook page expresses the power of this fellowship: “Be that guy. Grab someone’s shoulder on their (toughest) day and say, you’re coming with me… I’m told there’s no better feeling than a big brother grabbing you and saying let’s get out of here.”

Working through deep issues on the boat

When the Thatchers hear of a critical incident, they invite officers on a hunting or fishing excursion. They transport, house and provide meals for the trips’ duration, and Jason has a large group of volunteers who pitch in to keep everything running smoothly. The officers are allowed to bring someone along, sometimes a spouse or one of their children, and it is not uncommon for families to work through deep issues while on the boat. Jason says, “Everything said on the boat is kept in strictest confidence. It has occurred to me, though, that if people could hear some of the pain expressed after horrific events, donations would start falling out of the sky.”

At the same time, Jason says, “In referring to working through issues, I don’t want people to get the impression this is a therapy session. Officers have a place to break away from a VERY stressful environment. Sometimes they opt to discuss their incident and find it helpful. Sometimes it is all about the fellowship with their coworkers or family and the incident is never discussed. We try to let things unfold at the officer’s own pace. I never push them to discuss anything. Sometimes things get very emotional. Sometimes it is a raucous good time.”

Blue Line Outdoors has three boats, including a handicap accessible drift boat. Some of the officers on trips have been injured on the job and the Thatchers want to be able to accommodate officers with as many different abilities and needs as possible.

If you are near the river and you see a boat go by with a Thin Blue Line flag, give a hearty wave to Jason. He is out there putting in a lot of hours, just doing what he does, offering healing and support for those who are doing a lot more than just punching in hours.

The ancient word “Tehama” once meant a place where rivers could be crossed. With our county’s rich currents of history, happenings and hope, this is our crossing place today — where we meet to celebrate our beautiful Tehama County.