Mid-State Technical College is partnering with the Adams County Officers Association to host the second annual Emergency Services Conference on Saturday, April 13. All those who work in emergency services are invited to attend the day-long event.

The Emergency Services Conference will be held at the Adams-Friendship Fine Arts Center from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. with check-in starting at 7:15 a.m. The event, including lunch, is free to emergency services personnel and their significant others due to funding provided by Adams-Columbia Electric Cooperative, Adams County Health and Human Services, Gunderson Moundview Hospital and Clinics, LifeLink III, Sand Valley Golf Resort and the Town of Rome Fire Department Fund.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to partner with Mid-State and local emergency services to host the event in Adams again,” said Sam Wollin, City of Adams Police Department Chief. “Last year’s event was well attended, and I hope that it continues to grow in a positive direction.” 

“At the conference, different disciplines of emergency services will come together outside of crisis and incident response situations to train and strengthen relationships between agencies and staff,” Wollin added. “This will help to ensure we are providing the best level of service in our communities.”

According to Wollin, the conference is planned locally for topics that are relevant to our area. “The training is tailored to meet local needs. This allows emergency services to hone and develop the skills necessary to respond to calls for service that we are commonly seeing as well as not commonly seeing.”

Participants will hear from central Wisconsin emergency services professionals, with session topics covering leadership building, pride in ownership, livestock emergency rescue and mass casualty. The conference will also feature a keynote address from Chris Prochut on mental health and question, persuade and refer (QPR) for agency personnel.

“I have heard Chris Prochut speak several times before and his story is motivational, empowering and easy to relate to for anyone in the emergency services profession,” said Brent York, Adams County Sheriff. “The demands of our jobs along with repeated exposure to critical incidents weighs heavy on emergency service professionals. Chris breaks down some of the barriers that go along with the stigma associated with emergency services professionals from seeking help.”

York noted that Chris's wife will also be at this training and will share her views, which will relate to emergency services spouses. “Commonly the spouses of emergency service professionals are the ones who may see early warning signs of suicide or depression. They are also the ones who bear the brunt of their spouse dealing with an issue.”

Registration for the Emergency Services Conference is required by Friday, April 5. Learn more and register at mstc.edu/EMS-Conference.