Training for Dealing with Aggressive & Violent People

I just wondered if any other fire services provide their personnel with training for dealing with aggressive & violent individuals & if so what kind of areas are covered!?

0 members like this

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by kara-lee allen on October 17, 2010 at 1:58pm

there is a good program. day long course. i didnt take through hall, took through work but hall is looking at. called "non-violent crisis intervention" lots of great ideas on diffusing situations, personal emotion control, with also some personal protection and restraint techniques...etc. i got a lot out of it.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Wilbert Kleijer on October 17, 2010 at 2:41pm

HI,
Good topic.
This is gonna be tough to translate into English, but I will give it a shot.
For a few years I gave courses in dealing with aggression to firefighters. Just to prepare them for New Years eve. We deal with a lot of aggression at that time, if you believe the newspapers.
We started with a small introduction about aggression and what can trigger these emotions. the second step is self awareness. We expose the firefighters to verbal aggression (never let it become physical) and let them experience what they feel. We coach them in how to deal with their emotions and let them work with their short comings in similar situation. This second round we also bring the behavior of a group to their attention.
Do know, that a training like this is very emotional to all participants.
The second part of the day we do some kind of realistic training. The crew will have to respond to a call and they will experience some kind of violence. Start it with a little bit of (verbal) aggression. during this part of the day we increase the level of aggression. Every exercise will end with a small evaluation to make them aware of what they are doing, give them advice and observe their emotions, before we increase the level of aggression.
The most important lesson to all firefighters: always step back when it comes to violence and call for police assistance.
Greets

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by kara-lee allen on October 17, 2010 at 3:07pm

that is basically the course i took.... lol but the booklet was like 40 pages long with some videos

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Greenman on October 17, 2010 at 3:14pm

Verbal Judo. Use words to talk your way out of a sticky situation, otherwise let the cops handle it.

Greenman

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Wilbert Kleijer on October 17, 2010 at 3:42pm

Ha, and a Dutch guy is doing this with google translations

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Justin Stoneham on December 6, 2010 at 4:46pm

Hi Wilbert, apologies for the delay in replying, had some technical issues!!! Anyway what your up too with your training sounds really interesting. What Fire Service do you work for?? I would be really keen to hear about your training, who delivers it & whether this is now part of basic training for your recruits?? If you want to private message me please feel free.

Kindest regards

Justin

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Brian Dumser on December 6, 2010 at 7:05pm

If you're in the back of the Ambulance, you can administer "Rapid Oxygen Therapy". That's where you bonk the guy upside the head with the O2 bottle!

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Wilbert Kleijer on December 7, 2010 at 2:35pm

Hi Justin,

I work for a Dutch Fire Department in the municipality of Tilburg. Unfortunately I/we never gave this training to our recruits. For some reason our department never felt the urge to offer our men this training. To be honest, non of our Dutch firefighters will get this in their basic training. We found out that only those departments who experienced aggression in their past felt the need for such a course. That's the main reason we stopped with it. Unfortunately.
Just let me know whether you like some more details.
Greets, wilbert