Ohio first responders get intervention training

First responders in Findlay, Ohio — police, firefighters and ambulance workers — are learning how to react to people with mental health problems as part of Crisis Intervention Team training. The first responders run through scenarios with the help of actors from the Fort Findlay Playhouse, The Courier reported Oct. 22. In one scene, two first responders approach a house where a man inside has symptoms of paranoia. In another, two first responders calm a woman having a medical emergency who won't unlock a bathroom door. The training lasted for 40 hours last week and was free for first responders who wanted to participate. It taught them about various mental health problems, de‐escalation tactics and resources in the mental health community for first responders on a call. The de‐escalation tactics could work in a variety of situations, Findlay Police Sgt. Dan Harmon noted. The training also contrasts with peace officer training, which is about taking command and controlling a situation. Funding for the training comes through the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Hancock, Harmon said, and covers such things as office supplies, books and printing costs.