Managing school crises was the theme of a two-day seminar held in the Bluffton town hall earlier this week.

The seminar was made possible from support of the Mental Health and Recovery Services Board of Allen, Auglaize and Hardin counties.

The Critical Incident Stress Management Team of Allen County hosted the seminar.

Titled “Organizing School and Educational Setting Crisis Response Information,” those attending were professionals in a five-county area.

Barbara Ertl of Erie, Pa., was the seminar leader. She is a project director for a mental health services agency in northwestern Pennsylvania.

According to Rick Skilliter, Bluffton police chief, “Those attending included school administrators, public safety officials, school teachers, clergy and mental health professionals.”

The two-day event covered 14 hours of training. It is the fourth in a series of courses offered by the organization.

CISMT of Allen County is a volunteer team of public safety and affiliate professionals serving regional fire, EMS, law enforcement, industry, educational and other organizations involved in any type of critical incident.

The team offers the following services at no charge:
• Pre-incident stress education
• Individual peer support
• Crisis management briefing
• Defusing
• Debriefing
• Follow-up and referral.

For more information on the organization:
800-567-4673
[email protected]