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Virtual

2:00pm to 3:00pm Consecutive Wednesdays in February 2023

Frontline personnel are regularly encountering people who present as hostile or readily escalate to hostile with minimal stimulus.

This training series will provide:

  • De-escalation techniques
  • Strategies to prevent disruption
  • Strategies to manage challenging group dynamics
  • Techniques to support frontline personnel dealing with hostility and aggression and more

This is WRHSAC’s second offering of this popular series. Please join us for one or more of these informative sessions.

The trainings are free. Registration is required. Please complete the form below to register.

  1. Workshop #1 – Working with Challenging One-on-one Frontline Interactions
    Wednesday, February 8, 2023, 2:00 to 3:00pm via Zoom 

 Proposed audience: People on the front lines, at front desks/reception, first on scene, etc. who deal with individuals initially refusing to respect policies or guidelines, expressing some degree of hostility or aggression, demanding immediate responses, etc.

 Objectives: Introduce approaches to de-escalation; identify and practice key de-escalation techniques.

  1. Workshop #2 – Working in Challenging Group/Community Settings
    Wednesday, February 15, 2023 2:00 to 3:00pm via Zoom 

Proposed audience: People organizing group meetings or events, people potentially dealing with multiple challenging interactions with irritated/aggressive people simultaneously

Objectives: Introduce techniques for designing and facilitating meetings or events to prevent disruption; discuss approaches to handling challenging group dynamics.

 

  1. Workshop #3 – Supporting Others Dealing with Challenging Dynamics
    Wednesday, February 22, 2023, 2:00 to 3:00pm via Zoom

Proposed audience: Both people who want to support peers/colleagues dealing with challenging interactions, and people who can impact workplace structures, processes and culture

Objectives: Introduce techniques for third-party intervention to support peers or colleagues dealing with hostility or aggression; explore ways our businesses/organizations/institutions can support front-line workers dealing with challenges.

These sessions are applicable to first responders, municipal officials, hospital personnel, front-line and essential workers, and supervisors. Please share this training with your colleagues, supervisors, staff and others who may be interested.

Please complete the following form to register.

You may register for one, two or all of the sessions. A link to participate will be provided to you in a confirmation email.

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Virtual

10:30am to 11:30am Consecutive Thursdays in July 2022

Frontline personnel are regularly encountering people who present as hostile or readily escalate to hostile with minimal stimulus.

This training series will provide:

  • De-escalation techniques
  • Strategies to prevent disruption
  • Strategies to manage challenging group dynamics
  • Techniques to support frontline personnel dealing with hostility and aggression and more

Update July 5, 2022 – This training series is full. Thank you for your interest. For questions please contact Raine Brown, Homeland Security Program Manager. 

Update July 1, 2022 – Registration for Workshops 1 & 2 is closed. We still have some seats in Workshop 3.

Please complete the form below.

  1. Workshop #1 – Working with Challenging One-on-one Frontline Interactions
    Thursday, July 14, 2022, 10:30 – 11:30am via Zoom 

 Proposed audience: People on the front lines, at front desks/reception, first on scene, etc. who deal with individuals initially refusing to respect policies or guidelines, expressing some degree of hostility or aggression, demanding immediate responses, etc.

 Objectives: Introduce approaches to de-escalation; identify and practice key de-escalation techniques.

  1. Workshop #2 – Working in Challenging Group/Community Settings
    Thursday, July 21, 2022, 10:30 – 11:30am via Zoom 

Proposed audience: People organizing group meetings or events, people potentially dealing with multiple challenging interactions with irritated/aggressive people simultaneously

Objectives: Introduce techniques for designing and facilitating meetings or events to prevent disruption; discuss approaches to handling challenging group dynamics.

 

  1. Workshop #3 – Supporting Others Dealing with Challenging Dynamics
    Thursday, July 28, 2022, 10:30 – 11:30am via Zoom

Proposed audience: Both people who want to support peers/colleagues dealing with challenging interactions, and people who can impact workplace structures, processes and culture

Objectives: Introduce techniques for third-party intervention to support peers or colleagues dealing with hostility or aggression; explore ways our businesses/organizations/institutions can support front-line workers dealing with challenges.

These sessions are applicable to first responders, municipal officials, hospital personnel, front-line and essential workers, and supervisors. Please share this training with your colleagues, supervisors, staff and others who may be interested.

Please complete the following form to register. You may register for one, two or all of the sessions. A link to participate will be provided to you in a confirmation email.

Update July 5, 2022 – Registration for this training series is full. Thank you for your interest. Inquiries can be directed to Raine Brown. 

 

Lanesborough and Erving, MA

All the sessions are full. Thank you for your interest in the training. 

Chainsaw safety skills are essential to first responder safety during critical incident response. Chainsaw operations on a normal day can be dangerous. According to the CDC approximately 36,000 people are treated in hospital emergency departments for injuries from using chain saws. When trees are bent over or snapped in half it significantly increases the difficulty of removing them. Following a terrorist incident, first responders may be called on to clear and maintain critical transportation routes which are crucial to delivery of response personnel, equipment and services. The routes are crucial to support supply chain management. When downed trees block transportation routes, first responders are called upon to clear routes with chainsaws.

This training series consists of two training modules: Basic Chainsaw Skills & Safety and Advanced Skills.

In Basic Chainsaw Skills & Safety, students will learn about basic safety equipment and PPE, a saw’s reactive forces, chain tooth parts, and practice felling, notching, hinging and other cutting techniques and calculations. This is a two-day, 16-hour course. Students must attend both complete days. The training is physically demanding, a morning of classroom learning on the first day, followed by field work in the afternoon and full in-field day on Day 2. Students must self assess their ability to meet these demands. This course is a pre-requisite for Advanced Skills training.

In Advanced Skills, students will build on the skills learned in the chainsaw skills & safety class. Additionally, students will learn techniques to relieve pressure commonly found in incident-damaged trees. Topics include hazards, spring poles, hangers and leaners, pulls and splits and others. This is a one-day, 8-hour training. Only students who have completed the Chainsaw Skills & Safety class are eligible. This training is physically demanding, all day in the field. Students must self-assess their ability to meet course demands.

This training is appropriate for Highway, Department of Public Works and Fire Personnel, and other first responders who may be called upon to use chainsaws in the line of duty.

The training is free. Lunch will be provided. Registration is required (see form below). Pandemic safety protocols will be followed.

Multiple sessions of Basic Chainsaw Skills & Safety will be held as follows:

  • Saturday and Sunday, August 14 and 15, 2021, Lanesborough, MA
  • Thursday and Friday, September 9 and 10, 2021, Lanesborough, MA
  • Monday and Tuesday, October 4 and 5, 2021, Erving, MA and
  • Monday and Tuesday, October 25 and 26, Erving, MA

 

All the sessions are full. Thank you for your interest in the training. 

Two sessions of the Advanced Skills training will be held as follows:

  • Thursday, September 23, 2021, Lanesborough, MA and
  • Tuesday, November 16, 2021, Erving, MA

 You must have successfully completed Chainsaw Skills and Safety in order to register for this class. The option to register for the Advanced class will be included in your email confirmation when you sign up for the Basic Skills class.

All questions can be directed to Raine Brown, Homeland Security Program Manager, raine@frcog.org, 413.774.3167 x138

 

 

Turner Falls Fire Department, 180 Turnpike Road, Turners Falls, MA

8:00am to 4:30pm

Chainsaw operations on a normal day can be dangerous. When trees are bent, snapped, or tangled in piles of debris because of a weather incident, hazards are increased significantly. With the frequency of tornados and hurricanes affecting western Massachusetts in recent years, highway crews and firefighters are being called on more and more to clear debris from roads. Chainsaw safety skills are essential to first responder safety during debris management response.

This training series consists of two training modules: Chainsaw Skills & Safety and After the Storm.

In Chainsaw Skills & Safety, students will learn about basic safety equipment and PPE, a saw’s reactive forces, chain tooth parts, and practice felling, notching, hinging and other cutting techniques and calculations. This is a two-day, 16-hour course. Students must attend both complete days. The training is physically demanding, a morning of classroom learning on the first day, followed by field work in the afternoon and full in-field day on Day 2. Students must self assess their ability to meet these demands. This course is a pre-requisite for After the Storm training.

In After the Storm, students will build on the skills learned in the chainsaw skills & safety class. Additionally, students will learn techniques to relieve pressure commonly found in storm-damaged trees. Topics include hazards, spring poles, hangers and leaners, pulls and splits and others. This is a one-day, 8-hour training. Only students who have completed the Chainsaw Skills & Safety class are eligible. This training is physically demanding, all day in the field. Students must self-assess their ability to meet course demands.

This training is appropriate for Highway, Department of Public Works and Fire Personnel, and other first responders who may be called upon to use chainsaws in the line of duty.

The training is free. Lunch will be provided. Pandemic safety protocols will be followed. Masks are required, and social distancing will be followed.

Two separate sessions of Chainsaw Skills & Safety will be held. One session will be held on Thursday and Friday, October 15 & 16, 2020. The second session will be held on Thursday and Friday, November 5 & 6, 2020. Both sessions will be held at Turners Falls Fire Department, Turners Falls, MA. Use the form below to register and choose which session you’d like to attend. Both sessions are full. Use the form below to be placed on the waiting list.

The After the Storm session will be held on a Tuesday, November 10, 2020, again at Turners Falls Fire Department. You must have successfully completed Chainsaw Skills and Safety in order to register for this class. Click here to register for After the Storm training.

All questions can be directed to Raine Brown, Homeland Security Program Manager, raine@frcog.org, 413.774.3167 x138

The Basic Skills and Safety Session are full. Complete the form below to be placed on the waiting list.

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MEMA, Region 3/4, 1002 Suffield Street, Agawam, MA

8:00 am to 4:30 pm

Chainsaw operations on a normal day can be dangerous. When trees are bent, snapped, or tangled in piles of debris because of a weather incident, hazards are increased significantly. With the frequency of tornados and hurricanes affecting western Massachusetts in recent years, highway crews and firefighters are being called on more and more to clear debris from roads. Chainsaw safety skills are essential to first responder safety during debris management response.

This training series consists of two training modules: Chainsaw Skills & Safety and After the Storm.

In Chainsaw Skills & Safety, students will learn about basic safety equipment and PPE, a saw’s reactive forces, chain tooth parts, and practice felling, notching, hinging and other cutting techniques and calculations. This is a two-day, 16-hour course. Students must attend both complete days. The training is physically demanding, a morning of classroom learning on the first day, followed by field work in the afternoon and full in-field day on Day 2. Students must self assess their ability to meet these demands. This course is a pre-requisite for After the Storm training.

In After the Storm, students will build on the skills learned in the chainsaw skills & safety class. Additionally, students will learn techniques to relieve pressure commonly found in storm-damaged trees. Topics include hazards, spring poles, hangers and leaners, pulls and splits and others. This is a one-day, 8-hour training. Only students who have completed the Chainsaw Skills & Safety class are eligible. This training is physically demanding, all day in the field. Students must self-assess their ability to meet course demands.

This training is appropriate for Highway, Department of Public Works and Fire Personnel. The training is free and food will be provided.

Two separate sessions of Chainsaw Skills & Safety will be held. The first session will be held on Monday & Tuesday, September 9 & 10, 2019 at MEMA, Agawam. The second session will be held in Southampton, MA on yet to be determined days (likely October).

One session of After the Storm will be held on a yet to be determined date.

All questions can be directed to Raine Brown, Homeland Security Program Manager, raine@frcog.org, 413.774.3167 x138

This training is full. 

Complete the form below if you’d like to be placed on the waitlist. Thank you for your interest!

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Agawam and Pittsfield MA

8:30 am to 5:00 pm

WRHSAC is hosting two sessions of Mental Health First Aid Training – Public Safety Module. This is a nationally coordinated training facilitated by the National Council for Behavioral Health.

Two sessions of this one day training will be held:

  • Friday, October 6, 2017 at MEMA Region 3/4, Agawam, MA (This session is full)
  • Friday, November 3, at Berkshire Community College @ Conte Federal Building, Pittsfield, MA (This session is full)

Mental Health First Aid for Public Safety provides first responders with response options to help them de-escalate incidents and better understand mental illnesses so they can respond to mental health related calls appropriately without compromising safety. This is an 8-hour course that teaches a 5-step action plan encompassing the skills, resources, and knowledge to help an individual in crisis connect with appropriate professional, peer, and self-help care.

This training is appropriate for all first responder disciplines.

Eight (8) hours of OEMS credits are available.

This training is free. A light breakfast and full lunch will be provided.

We encourage you to register soon. Due to the interactive nature of the training, course size is limited to 30. The courses are expected to fill quickly. Registration is open to first responders from western Massachusetts. WRHSAC is offering these two sessions to asses interest in this training. If interest is high, additional sessions will likely be offered in the future.

Registration is closed for these trainings.