July 27 - 31, 2026

WRHSAC K9 Training Week

Strengthen your K9 team’s readiness before the next call.

July 27 – 31, 2026

The Western Region Homeland Security Advisory Council (WRHSAC) is offering a comprehensive, multi-day K9 training program designed for law enforcement, search and rescue, and other public safety K9 teams. This training focuses on practical skills that improve operational readiness, responder safety, and multi-agency coordination during real-world incidents.

Whether your K9 supports patrol, trailing, tracking, search and rescue, security, comfort/therapy, or another public safety mission, this training provides valuable skills that can be applied immediately in the field.

Day 1 K9 First Aid & Emergency Medical Care

Monday July 27, 8am to noon. Amherst

This four-hour seminar is open to all first responder K9 handlers, regardless of discipline.

Learn how to:

• Recognize and stabilize life-threatening injuries
• Provide emergency field care when veterinary services are delayed
• Improve K9 survivability during extended operations
• Keep your canine partner operational during emergencies

Eligible participants include handlers of:

• Patrol K9s
• Tracking & trailing K9s
• Search & Rescue K9s
• Security K9s
• Comfort/Crisis Response Dogs
• Detection K9s
• Other public safety working dogs

Open to up to 50 attendees. The training is free.

Thank you for your interest in this training. Registration is closed. 

Days 2 – 5 Advanced Human Trailing Operations

Tuesday, July 28 to Friday, July 31. 8am to 4pm. Hadley and other locations

This intensive four-day course combines classroom instruction with extensive field exercises covering:

• Human trailing theory and scent dynamics
• Reading canine body language and trail behavior
• Complex terrain, contamination, and urban environments
• Tactical decision-making and handler safety
• Long-duration trailing operations
• Multi-agency coordination
• Full-scale operational scenarios
• After-action reviews and lessons learned

Participants will work through increasingly challenging scenarios designed to build confidence and improve operational effectiveness in missing person searches and other real-world deployments.

Limited to:

• 5 trailing/tracking teams (handler + dog) The handler team spots are full. Complete the form if you’d like to be added to the waitlist. 
• 5 observers (without dogs)

Thank you for your interest in this training. Registration is closed. 

Monday June 8 – Thursday June 11, 2026 Holyoke 

You see things most people never will. Over time, those calls add up.

This is WRHSAC’s second offering of ASAP Training in Western Massachusetts. During the first session, the class was attended primarily by law enforcement professionals. This round, we strongly encourage participation from firefighters, EMS providers, and dispatchers to ensure this resource is available across all disciplines.

This training prepares first responders to deliver the Acute Stress Adaptive Protocol (ASAP) to their own peers. Participants will learn a structured, evidence-supported process to help colleagues safely process stressful and traumatic calls — without requiring them to talk through the details.

Whether you’re operating on the fireground, providing patient care, or handling calls from the communications center, cumulative stress affects every role. This training gives you a practical tool to bring back to your department.

Research shows participants experience about a 44% reduction in post-traumatic stress symptoms.

What This Training Provides

✔ Certification to deliver ASAP to peers
✔ A structured 8-step protocol and facilitator guide
✔ Skills to lead 45–60 minute sessions
✔ Group and one-on-one delivery options
✔ A tool that can be used shortly after difficult calls

This course strengthens your department’s internal peer support capacity, across fire, EMS, dispatch, and law enforcement.

You Take Care of Everyone Else.

Learn How to Take Care of Each Other.

If you’re part of a peer support team — or want to build one — this training equips you with a proven, field-ready intervention designed specifically for emergency personnel across Western Massachusetts.

The training is free. Click here to apply. You will be notified of acceptance. 

Springfield and Greenfield Sessions

NAEMT’s Tactical Emergency Casualty Care (TECC) course, is a comprehensive 16-hour, evidence-based training designed to prepare EMS practitioners, prehospital providers, first responders, and allied personnel to effectively assess and manage traumatic injuries in civilian tactical and high-risk environments.

WRHSAC is conducting two sessions of this 2-day training.

• The first in Springfield on Saturday and Sunday, February 14 & 15, 2026. 9am to 5pm.
• The second in Easthampton on Wednesday and Thursday, March 4 & 5, 2026. 8am to 4pm
• Training Update January 9, 2026 – Both sessions and the waitlist are full. Thank you for your interest in the training. 

This course equips participants with the knowledge and hands-on skills necessary to deliver life-saving care during dynamic incidents such as active shooter events, mass casualty situations, and other tactical emergencies.

What You’ll Learn:

• A structured approach to trauma care using the three phases of tactical care — Direct Threat (Hot Zone), Indirect Threat (Warm Zone), and Evacuation (Cold Zone).

• Techniques for hemorrhage control and immediate action drills including tourniquet application.

• Application of the MARCH assessment for rapid evaluation and intervention.

• Airway management, including surgical airway control and needle decompression.

• Strategies for caring for responders and patients in hostile or unstable environments.

• Pediatric trauma care, casualty movement techniques, and real-world patient simulations culminating in a mass-casualty/active shooter event scenario.

Course Benefits:

• Accredited by CAPCE for 16 hours of continuing education.

• Recognized by the National Registry of EMTs (NREMT).

• Endorsed by the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma and aligned with current Co-TECC guidelines.

Whether you are an EMS clinician, firefighter, law enforcement officer, or other emergency responder, this course strengthens your ability to act confidently and competently when every second counts.

8:00am to 3:00pm

WRHSAC, in partnership with Baystate Health, presents
The Reid Technique of Investigative Interviewing and Advanced Interrogation

This multi-day training is designed for law enforcement officers, investigators, prosecutors, intelligence personnel, and other multidisciplinary professionals involved in criminal or counterterrorism investigations. It will strengthen your ability to assess credibility, structure effective interviews, and conduct advanced interrogations. The course is essential for fostering interagency cooperation and improving regional coordination, especially in cases involving criminal activity or potential terrorist connections.

Two sessions will be offered: one in October and one in November. See below for specific dates and registration details.

Cost: Free
Registration: Required (link below).

In this course, you will learn how to:

• Interpret verbal and non-verbal behavior to assess the credibility of statements.

• Structure interviews with open-ended and investigative questions to develop a subject’s statement.

• Use behavior-provoking questions during the interview process.

• Persuade suspects to truthfully disclose their involvement in criminal activity.

• Develop effective interrogation strategies and themes.

• Apply alternative questioning techniques to elicit an initial admission of guilt.

• Manage defiant suspects by overcoming objections and addressing fear of consequences.

We are offering two sessions of this training:

• Tuesday, October 28 – Friday, October 31, 2025. Each day 8:00am to 3:00pm. Holyoke, MA.
• Wednesday, November 12 – Friday, November 14, 2025. Each day 8:00am to 5:00pm, Holyoke, MA.

Please complete the form to register. 

Update November 6, 2025 – Both sessions are full. Thank you to all who were able to attend!

8:00am to 2:00pm

Leading Before, During, and After the Crisis Lessons in Leadership from Chief Daniel Linskey

Tuesday, September 23, Chicopee, MA. 9am to 2pm. 

Chief Daniel Linskey, former Commissioner of the Boston Police Department, brings powerful lessons from a career that spanned street patrols, undercover operations, and top command, culminating in leading the response to the Boston Marathon bombing.

Drawing from decades of experience in law enforcement, the U.S. Marine Corps, and elite leadership training programs, Chief Linskey will share practical strategies for:

• Leading teams with clarity and purpose in high-stakes situations

• Preparing your organization for unthinkable challenges

• Making critical decisions under pressure

• Building resilience and unity during and after a crisis

This engaging presentation blends real-life stories with actionable takeaways you can apply immediately in your own role. Expect moments that will make you laugh, reflect, and be inspired, while adding proven tools to your own “File Cabinet of Leadership.”

This seminar is part of the Western Mass Fire Chiefs Association Leadership Training Series, designed to prepare emerging officers for leadership roles.

Coffee, pastries and light lunch will be provided compliments of Western Mass Fire Chiefs Association.

Thank you for your interest in this seminar. Registration is closed. 

Multiple Times

De-Escalation and Crisis Communications Training is designed to provide participants practical tools to de-escalate interpersonal encounters. This course has an emphasis on providing de-escalation tools while prioritizing personal safety.

This training is free. Registration is required. OEMS credits (3) are approved. Please complete the form below.

In this course, learners will learn key concepts related to:

• Problem solving and differentiating between types and stages of crisis.
• The four factors of emotional stress.
• Common indicators and systems associated with persons in crises.
• Verbal steps to de-escalate a situation.

The class is fast paced, with a combination of verbal de-escalation exercises and shared instructor experiences. This course is for anyone who needs practical knowledge on how to address stressful encounters while maintain safety awareness. Recommended audience: First responders, professionals in public-facing roles, educators and staff from elementary schools, high schools, and higher education institutions, personnel from human service agencies, and others who regularly engage with the public, particularly in stressful situations.

Objectives:
By the end of the course, learners will be aware of practical and implementable tools to identify crises and steps associated with verbal de-escalation.

The training is free. It is 3-hours long and is offered at the times and locations listed below. Registration is required. Please complete the form below to register.

All registration will close at noon on Monday, March 3, 2025.

• Wednesday, March 5, 2025, 9am to noon – Agawam – As of Monday 2/24/25 – this session is full. 
• Wednesday, March 5, 2025, 4:30pm to 7:30pm – Pittsfield – As of Friday 2/28/25 this session is full. 
• Thursday, March 6, 2025, 9am to noon – Hadley
• Thursday, March 6, 2025, 2pm to 5pm – Greenfield

Registration is closed. Thank you for your interest in the training.