Project Grant H79SM088209

CALL TO SERVICE PROJECT - THE MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS TRAINING (MHAT) PROJECT, WILL BE RENAMED IN THIS PROPOSAL AS CALL TO SERVICE, IN REFERENCE TO MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS AND DE-ESCALATION TECHNIQUES BEING PART OF FIREFIGHTERS AND EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIANS CALL TO SERVICE IN ADDITION TO THEIR MORE SPECIFIC MEDICAL AND FIRE JOB FUNCTIONS. THE CALL TO SERVICE PROJECT WILL FOCUS ON TRAINING FIREFIGHTERS AND EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIANS (EMTS) TO RECOGNIZE THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF MENTAL DISORDERS AND HOW TO SAFELY DE-ESCALATE CRISIS SITUATIONS INVOLVING INDIVIDUALS WITH A MENTAL ILLNESS AND PROVIDE EDUCATION ON RESOURCES AVAILABLE IN THE COMMUNITY FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH A MENTAL ILLNESS AND OTHER RELEVANT RESOURCES. THIS ENDEAVOR WILL BE ESTABLISHED BY TRAINING FIREFIGHTERS AND EMTS FROM RIVERSIDE COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT (EMD) TO RECOGNIZE THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF MENTAL DISORDERS AND LEARN EFFECTIVE WAYS TO SAFELY DE-ESCALATE CRISIS SITUATIONS INVOLVING INDIVIDUALS WITH A MENTAL ILLNESS. IN ADDITION, THE CALL TO SERVICE PROJECT WILL PROVIDE EDUCATION ON RESOURCES AVAILABLE IN THE COMMUNITY FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH A MENTAL ILLNESS AND OTHER RELEVANT RESOURCES. BY THE END OF YEAR THREE, THE CALL TO SERVICE PROJECT WILL HAVE TRAINED 300 FIREFIGHTERS AND EMTS IN MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS TO SAFELY AND APPROPRIATELY DE-ESCALATE CRISIS SITUATIONS INVOLVING THE POPULATION OF FOCUS. 90 PERCENT WILL HAVE RECEIVED COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES TO ASSIST IN LINKAGES TO SERVICES. 60 PERCENT OF THE RIVERSIDE COUNTY FIREFIGHTERS AND EMTS TRAINED WILL INDICATE IN POST EVALUATION TOOLS THEY INCREASED KNOWLEDGE IN RECOGNIZING THE SIGNS AND/OR SYMPTOMS OF MENTAL DISORDERS AND/OR LEARNED ADDITIONAL EFFECTIVE WAYS TO SAFELY DE-ESCALATE CRISIS SITUATIONS INVOLVING INDIVIDUALS WITH A MENTAL ILLNESS.