10/22/18 – 5:11 A.M.

Several local first responders took part in crisis intervention training last week. Police, firefighters, and ambulance workers ran through many scenarios with actors from the Fort Findlay Playhouse. Findlay Police Sgt. Dan Harmon says it’s important for first responders to know how to handle intense situations.

In one scenario, two officers had to approach a house where a man inside had symptoms of paranoia. In another, two first responders had to calm a woman having a medical emergency who won’t unlock a bathroom door. It taught them about various mental health problems, de-escalation tactics, and resources in the mental health community.

Harmon says a majority of officers in the Findlay Police Department are CIT-trained.

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