News Photo by Mike Gonzalez Dr. Ken Wolf, chief executive officer of Incident Management Team Inc., talks to emergency responders for Crisis Intervention Training at the Alpena Public Safety Facility on Tuesday morning.

ALPENA — Emergency service workers from different Northeast Michigan counties came together on Tuesday for Crisis Intervention Training. The eight-hour session taught first responders how to appropriately respond to people dealing with mental health challenges in hopes of de-escalating the situation and increasing the safety of those in crisis and the responder.

Service workers varied from deputy sheriffs and emergency dispatchers from Alcona County to members of Alpena’s Juvenile Court.

The training program, covered by nonprofit Partners in Prevention after receiving a four-year, $125,000 Mental Health and Awareness Training Project grant, was led by Dr. Ken Wolf, chief executive officer of Incident Management Team Inc. in West Bloomfield.

Wolf was also a police psychological consultant for the Detroit Police Department and the Police Officers Association of Michigan.

“In the beginning, I’m going to talk about the Memphis Model, which is the model that all crisis intervention training programs are based on,” Wolf said. “In Memphis, cops responded to the scene of someone acting aggressive, they shot him, and they lost a big lawsuit. Then, Memphis officials said let’s train cops on managing these situations and came up with a 40-hour curriculum, so we boil it down to eight hours to tell these first responders what they need to know when they go out on a run.”

Wolf handed out documents to participants with information for defusing hostile situations with someone suffering from a mental health crisis.

One document lists ways to assess the scene and situation, how to communicate with the individual with the issues, and how to address the situation.

“When you go to a scene, the first thing you should check is if there is a weapon,” Wolf said. “The second thing you should ask is if there is a threat of homicide or suicide and if the subject is a risk to themselves, others around them, and you. If not, it’s good to slow down, change tactics, and take your time. Tell the person they’re safe and give them distance for a chance to respond and stabilize themselves.”

During the training session, participants went through different de-escalation scenarios and heard about someone’s own experience with a mental health crisis and how first responders reacted during the situation.

CIT training started on March 5, with two other day-long sessions on March 7 and April 2.

The $125k grant given to Partners in Prevention also allows the group to host other mental health programs, such as a Mental Health First Aid program that allows adults to learn more about mental health on March 20, and more workshops and training sessions.

Partners in Prevention will also be able to create a mental health resources website with support from Alpena Emergency Medical Services and Fire, Alpena City Police, Alcona Health Center, MyMichigan Health, and more.

“Just being able to talk about your mental health is helpful and healing,” Mary Schalk, program director of Partners in Prevention, said. “There are a lot of things each of us can do as individuals to take better care of ourselves and to watch out for each other and be that listening ear and that supportive person.”

If you are feeling suicidal or need someone to talk to, you can call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.