“We have now undertaken RTS1 and RTS2 training within Durham Constabulary. These sessions have been beneficial to those attending and it is apparent that the colleagues attending took away learning regardless of their role or level of experience. The trainers have great knowledge and provide learning in an informative and interactive way, and we will hopefully run further sessions in the future”
I thought the course was really beneficial, and this should be mandatory for all officers joining, even us “old sweats” who have dealt with many suicide incidents it was great to have the training and I definitely picked up some new practices in dealing, I know the subject is a sensitive subject but it needs to be spoken about.
Highly recommended!
I attended the one-day RTS2 suicide prevention and awareness training. This was an incredibly insightful subject which is highly recommended to all emergency services. The staff are incredibly knowledgeable, highly motivated and articulate at passing their skills and experience to us learners. The course allows us as first line responders the opportunity to learn better verbal and nonverbal skills to use with persons feeling suicidal, the instructors also teach better approaches towards bereaved family and friends.
This course is a must for those personnel and leaders who find themselves not only dealing with suicidal members of the public but also identifying the stressors and trauma that may be experienced in our own personnel attending traumatic incidents. We are exposed to primary traumatic events, such as conflict, Road Traffic Collisions (RTC), Domestic Abuse (DA) and death, this does have a detrimental effect to the stress of emergency personnel due to the critical decisions we are required to make while in attendance. However, indirect exposure to secondary trauma such as the continuous mental stressors’ emergency personnel are required to experience when dealing with the emotions of victims, witnesses, and suspects, along with taking accounts of events and listening to the harrowing emergency calls, will also contribute to the degradation of emergency personnel’s mental resilience.
Course opens up some valuable discussions and awareness into a subject matter that is not talked about enough. Course providers were excellent with the delivery and encouraged a good working forum. The course has given me much more confidence on how to approach talking about suicide awareness and providing help to those struggling
Great course, every operational officer should do this
I am part of the Men’s support network for Northumbria police, I am also a Federation representative and response sgt working in Newcastle city centre. This training has been incredibly beneficial for all 3 of these roles.
Course opens up some valuable discussions and awareness into a subject matter that is not talked about enough. Course providers were excellent with the delivery and encouraged a good working forum. The course has given me much more confidence on how to approach talking about suicide awareness and providing help to those struggling.
I attended the RTS2 training in my role with Public Health, with 18 years previous experience as a Police Officer. The course was expertly delivered but in a relaxed and engaging way that made the day informative and enjoyable – not something I can usually say, working in the field of suicide prevention. The trainers have a wealth of experience between them, they are natural trainers, using innovative ways to deliver a difficult topic and getting the most out of attendees. I can’t recommend this course enough to anyone who may deal with people who are feeling suicidal.
It is over a year since I attended this training session, but the resources gathered on the day are still in use and visible in our RNLI station. Now that several colleagues have completed the training we have been able to discuss the subject and consider how our practice could be amended, as well as cascade some of the learning to the wider team. The RTS course was excellent and I would highly recommend it to any first responder. The facilitators expertly ensured that there was ample audience participation and discussion. If there is a follow up or subsequent training I would attend.
Through my various roles in the Fire Service, I’ve done a lot of training around mental health and suicide. This course looked at things in a very different way, and having two people in the room who could talk from personal experience was really thought-provoking and added a level of realism that really helped bring home how important good support for families is. I came away with some really tangible ways to support people bereaved by suicide. I’m so grateful to Angela and Sharon for sharing their stories and making a very difficult subject easier to understand.
Although a very emotive subject, it is the best course I have been on. This course is extremely valuable in helping staff to understand the support and aftercare available to those bereaved by suicide, I think most people are worried they say or do the wrong thing and I think this course answers most , if not all of the worries and actually makes you realise you aren’t alone in having those worries. This course was thought provoking , engaging and well delivered and I believe all frontline emergency workers should receive this training.
“This event provides time and space to both listen and learn but also to reflect. As a paramedic who has attended deaths by suicide and experienced the loss of colleagues taking their own lives I cannot understate the importance of understanding the impacts on families, friends and even distant acquaintances. To have the honour of learning from people with lived experience is inspirational and will leave a lasting impression on your teams.”
‘In 34 years of policing I have personally dealt with 33 suicides in one form or another. I feel that the input given by PABBS was not only enlightening and educational, but also a ‘lightbulb’ moment for me, having being affected professionally and personal by suicide. I can say hand on heart it was the best training package I have received in my career’
This training has value in better understanding and guiding a caring response to those bereaved by suicide. It’s an issue colleagues not only encounter in operational roles, but also within the communities we live, and the organisations in which we work – so the impact that sensitive , compassionate and supportive response can make is immense. Knowledgeable trainers, engaging delivery. I attended a multi-agency training event which helped maximise sharing of local knowledge and collective understanding which was an added bonus.
I found this course very insightful and educational, it has left me with a greater awareness around the topic especially when talking about suicide or attending these types of incidents. I think the course is of greatest benefit when it’s a group of different agencies. Very worthwhile attending for anyone who may respond to suicide incidents.
As an operational Watch manager at Thornaby fire station which specialises in water rescue for the Brigade area, we deal with many incidents involving suicide or attempted suicide. We tend to deal with such incidents in a professional manner similar to the way we deal with all our incidents by trying to ensure the safety of our crews whilst hopefully saving life as we often do. We perhaps sometimes don’t give enough thought to the individual or their families or the impact we as professionals can have in those initial moments. The RTS training was presented brilliantly in a way that captivated all that attended and in future as incident commander I will be more aware and hopefully be able to give extra support to those affected including my own crews.
Excellent course for anyone who manages people in the emergency services. Gave me more of an insight of the role we play been the first on scene at a suicide incident. It made me realise the impact that we can have on people at there worst times. Really informative and well presented for a difficult subject and valuable discussion have been raised by the issues of mental health in our service.
As a Paramedic of 18 years, I have often attended those who have died by suicide, and always felt out of my depth when speaking to families or friends around the patient, what do you actually say to someone who’s loved one you cannot help. Hearing the lived experience of Angela opened my eyes as to how the small gestures matter, how the blanket around a shoulder, a separate space or even just a shoulder to lean on is important. It is invaluable training for anyone who will come into contact with the relatives of those who have died by suicide, to better understand how the things we say and how we act may have an impact on the family for may years to come.
‘Recently attended the one day ‘Postvention: Assisting those bereaved by suicide’ training with my colleague and found the content invaluable for providing appropriate support to those bereaved by suicide. The course was thought-provoking, engaging and well delivered, and involved other partner agencies which added other relevant perspectives. I would recommend the course to anyone involved in supporting those bereaved by suicide or designing and implementing services to support others impacted by these events.’
‘The PABBS training was very informative and was well run by the trainers. The information, resources and workbook are essential to influence change in how we as a Police Service along with Partner Agencies respond to those bereaved by suicide. The course was well attended by a wide variety of Organisations, Third Party and key personnel, all of whom shared their experiences. The course highlighted for me personally how consideration must be provided to the impact on Emergency Service personnel in attending incidents and also provided useful resources which have now been implemented as part of our response to support Police Staff. The course provided an excellent foundation for us as Partners to improve our understanding and response to those affected by suicide.’