WWFT Approves Travel Requests For CARES Coordinator
January 4, 2023 at 12:20 a.m.
WWFT Approves Travel Requests For CARES Coordinator
By David [email protected]
EMS Chief Chris Fancil said Bixler’s Jan. 18 trip to Fort Wayne will be for a QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) trainer class. Event registration is $525 with an additional $20 for meals.
“It seems $500 is a pretty salty one-day class, but it’s for her to come back and teach the rest of us how to do this a little bit better,” Fancil said. “When we’re dealing with somebody who’s in a mental health crisis, who may be suicidal, we want to be able to ask them the right questions, without making things worse. Persuade them to get assistance, and refer them to the assistance.”
He said it’s what Bixler already does, but they just want her to become a trainer in QPR. Fancil and Bixler are already QPR certified.
“Pretty simple class, actually. It’s only a couple hours long to take the course. But it’s really good information. You want to be really careful about what you say to certain people when they’re having an issue. So we want to get her certified as a trainer and then she can teach the rest of us,” Fancil said.
The training will be available to whoever wants it. “It’s just going to be an offering through us,” Fancil said.
After that travel request was approved, Fancil presented on Bixler traveling to Fort Wayne Jan. 25-27 for Assisting Individuals in Crisis/Group Crisis Intervention training. Event registration is $260 with meals estimated at $180.
Fancil said he’s already taken the courses.
“The fire department’s really part of CISM (Critical Incident Stress Management) group in the county. We deal with first responders having issues, as well as groups,” Fancil said, adding that he’s been a part of the group for three years and they’ve been all over the place assisting first responders when they’re dealing with crisis.
“One of the things we don’t have on that team is a female member of the team. And, I think I’ve said before, people want to talk to a certain face or certain person,” Fancil said. “Sometimes they don’t want to talk to an older person, they want to talk to a younger person. They don’t want to talk to a male, they want to talk to a female. We feel that these two classes - Assisting Individuals and Assisting Groups in Crisis - would both help Mikaela both as a CARES person in her everyday details that she deals with, but also in assisting with that CISM team that we’ve already got put together.”
He said they just want to get Bixler trained and certified in it so she can have another set of tools in her toolbox to help others.
Board member and Warsaw Common Councilman Mike Klondaris asked for an example of a situation where the training might be used.
“From the CISM team standpoint, we’ve been out for children that have passed away, that have either died violently, died by car accidents, died by suicide, homicide. We typically will receive a call from, let’s say a fire department, who says, ‘We’re really having trouble with this call that we made. Could you guys come down and help us out with that?’ We do respond to them when they ask us to and go and just sit down and talk,” Fancil said.
He said first responders want to talk to other first responders and that helps them out through that time.
When Fancil started his career almost 31 years ago, first responders didn’t just talk about stuff, but over time “that’s a lot of weight.” So now they get first responders to talk and have conversations about what they’re feeling.
Board member Brandon Schmitt applauded what they are doing.
“I appreciate what Chief (Garrett Holderman) and you guys are doing from a prevention standpoint with our guys and girls. It’s important, it’s huge, having been there and knowing exactly what you’re talking about. I think it’s a part of what we need, from a professional standpoint, so I’m appreciative of that and I’m glad we’re taking those steps,” Schmitt said.
The second travel request also was unanimously approved.
In other business, the WWFT Board:
• Approved the 2023 real estate lease for 119 W. Center St., Suite B, between the WWFT, the city of Warsaw and Michael Welborn. The Warsaw Board of Public Works and Safety approved the one-year contract at its last December meeting.
The city has an option to renew the lease in October for 2024. The lease payment is $1,000 per month for an annual amount of no more or less than $12,000, which was budgeted for 2023, according to Fire Chief Garrett Holderman.
Holderman said the Board of Works approved it back in December because the lease was time sensitive.
“We are actually starting the process of moving in. We have it insured. We have the lease agreement signed. We just wanted to bring it to the Territory Board for your approval,” Holderman explained.
Klondaris asked how many people from the fire territory would have offices over there and was told just two.
• All five Board members were given the oath of office by WWFT attorney Andrew Grossnickle. Board members include Klondaris, Schmitt, Gordon Nash, Wayne Township Trustee Jeanie Stackhouse and Mayor Joe Thallemer.
Shirley Fetrow was reappointed as the Board’s recording secretary, and Grossnickle was reappointed as the WWFT attorney for a one-year term.
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EMS Chief Chris Fancil said Bixler’s Jan. 18 trip to Fort Wayne will be for a QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) trainer class. Event registration is $525 with an additional $20 for meals.
“It seems $500 is a pretty salty one-day class, but it’s for her to come back and teach the rest of us how to do this a little bit better,” Fancil said. “When we’re dealing with somebody who’s in a mental health crisis, who may be suicidal, we want to be able to ask them the right questions, without making things worse. Persuade them to get assistance, and refer them to the assistance.”
He said it’s what Bixler already does, but they just want her to become a trainer in QPR. Fancil and Bixler are already QPR certified.
“Pretty simple class, actually. It’s only a couple hours long to take the course. But it’s really good information. You want to be really careful about what you say to certain people when they’re having an issue. So we want to get her certified as a trainer and then she can teach the rest of us,” Fancil said.
The training will be available to whoever wants it. “It’s just going to be an offering through us,” Fancil said.
After that travel request was approved, Fancil presented on Bixler traveling to Fort Wayne Jan. 25-27 for Assisting Individuals in Crisis/Group Crisis Intervention training. Event registration is $260 with meals estimated at $180.
Fancil said he’s already taken the courses.
“The fire department’s really part of CISM (Critical Incident Stress Management) group in the county. We deal with first responders having issues, as well as groups,” Fancil said, adding that he’s been a part of the group for three years and they’ve been all over the place assisting first responders when they’re dealing with crisis.
“One of the things we don’t have on that team is a female member of the team. And, I think I’ve said before, people want to talk to a certain face or certain person,” Fancil said. “Sometimes they don’t want to talk to an older person, they want to talk to a younger person. They don’t want to talk to a male, they want to talk to a female. We feel that these two classes - Assisting Individuals and Assisting Groups in Crisis - would both help Mikaela both as a CARES person in her everyday details that she deals with, but also in assisting with that CISM team that we’ve already got put together.”
He said they just want to get Bixler trained and certified in it so she can have another set of tools in her toolbox to help others.
Board member and Warsaw Common Councilman Mike Klondaris asked for an example of a situation where the training might be used.
“From the CISM team standpoint, we’ve been out for children that have passed away, that have either died violently, died by car accidents, died by suicide, homicide. We typically will receive a call from, let’s say a fire department, who says, ‘We’re really having trouble with this call that we made. Could you guys come down and help us out with that?’ We do respond to them when they ask us to and go and just sit down and talk,” Fancil said.
He said first responders want to talk to other first responders and that helps them out through that time.
When Fancil started his career almost 31 years ago, first responders didn’t just talk about stuff, but over time “that’s a lot of weight.” So now they get first responders to talk and have conversations about what they’re feeling.
Board member Brandon Schmitt applauded what they are doing.
“I appreciate what Chief (Garrett Holderman) and you guys are doing from a prevention standpoint with our guys and girls. It’s important, it’s huge, having been there and knowing exactly what you’re talking about. I think it’s a part of what we need, from a professional standpoint, so I’m appreciative of that and I’m glad we’re taking those steps,” Schmitt said.
The second travel request also was unanimously approved.
In other business, the WWFT Board:
• Approved the 2023 real estate lease for 119 W. Center St., Suite B, between the WWFT, the city of Warsaw and Michael Welborn. The Warsaw Board of Public Works and Safety approved the one-year contract at its last December meeting.
The city has an option to renew the lease in October for 2024. The lease payment is $1,000 per month for an annual amount of no more or less than $12,000, which was budgeted for 2023, according to Fire Chief Garrett Holderman.
Holderman said the Board of Works approved it back in December because the lease was time sensitive.
“We are actually starting the process of moving in. We have it insured. We have the lease agreement signed. We just wanted to bring it to the Territory Board for your approval,” Holderman explained.
Klondaris asked how many people from the fire territory would have offices over there and was told just two.
• All five Board members were given the oath of office by WWFT attorney Andrew Grossnickle. Board members include Klondaris, Schmitt, Gordon Nash, Wayne Township Trustee Jeanie Stackhouse and Mayor Joe Thallemer.
Shirley Fetrow was reappointed as the Board’s recording secretary, and Grossnickle was reappointed as the WWFT attorney for a one-year term.
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