VIDEO: Aurora Fire Rescue crew members are completing de-escalation training to help crew members respond to people experiencing a crisis. Despite paramedics regularly responding to these types of calls, de-escalation training is pretty rare within fire departments.
“I’ve been doing this for 34 years and it’s nothing we’ve ever formally done, and it seems like the right time and place to bring this to life,” said Aurora Fire Rescue’s training chief, Commander Mark Hays. The training comprises three phases that teach self-awareness, body positioning and voice modulation to help soothe individuals experiencing anxiety, stress or psychological trauma. On Monday, paramedics walked through scenarios played out by actors, such as a veteran with PTSD or a woman experiencing a mental health crisis.