QPR for EMS/Firefighter
Course Features
- Interactive Practice Challenges
- Videos
- Audio
- Thought challenges
- Interactive Quizzes
- Surveys
- Rich Content
Certifications Earned
- QPR for EMS/Firefighter Certificate
- QPR Gatekeeper for Suicide Prevention Certificate
Mode of Study
Self-paced
Course Description
EMS/Firefighter professionals are first on scene for thousands of mental health and suicide attempt medical crisis every day. With input from members of the Colorado EMS Association, and with the help of the Redlands, California Fire Department and 1st responder organizations, this certificate course addresses the knowledge and skills first responders need to deal effectively with suicidal people, family members of the deceased by suicide, and to look after the health and safety of their colleagues and co-workers.
International students please note
Suicide rates for QPR courses are US-specific. To determine suicide rates in your country, please visit the World Health Organization at http://www.who.int/mental_health/prevention/suicide_rates/en/ .
As you will see, many of these reports are quite dated. If your country keeps such data but does not necessarily report to WHO, try Googling federal, state, or province name and "suicide rate." If you are teaching suicide prevention courses you will need this data; the more local the data the better. But remember that suicide rates need 5 to 10 year horizons to be of much value as to interpreting any changes in trend lines.
The Training Program
This course is about our shared mission to help each other and the suicidal people we may meet on our journey through life. Some may be friends, some coworkers, and some may be the people we serve. As an EMS professional you may have already been on scene at a completed suicide or a non-fatal suicide attempt. If you have not, it is only a matter of time.
As background to building this course, the course authors worked with both the Injury Prevention Division of the Colorado Department of Public Health, and EMS/Firefighter professionals throughout the state. We built the training to "specifications" provided to our team by those "in the know."
Program Background and Purpose
While expert opinion may differ as to what helper competencies are required to assist suicidal persons achieve the most beneficial outcomes, little controversy exists about the lack of qualified manpower to help the thousands of people who think about, attempt and sometimes die by suicide, including those you respond to in the line of duty.
Even among licensed professionals there is a serious lack of systematic training in how to a) detect suicide risk, b) assess immediate risk for suicidal behaviors and c) provide helpful crisis mitigation services to suicidal persons.
The history and source of the Institute's training programs is derived from earlier research and development work in partnership with Washington State University, The Washington Institute for Mental Health Research, the Washington State Youth Suicide Prevention Program, Spokane Mental Health, and Spokane County Regional Health District.
We believe that crisis volunteers, first responders, emergency services professionals, corrections professionals as well as many others in frequent contact with at risk populations, need to know as much about suicidal behaviors and how to intervene to reduce risk and enhance safety as do trained mental health professionals. To this end, the online program you are about to take is intended to train you in the knowledge and skills you will need to provide competent services in suicide risk detection, initial intervention, how to immediately mitigate the risk of a suicide attempt.
What this training program is not
This training is not a substitute for a college degree in counseling or other helping profession, nor can it provide the face-to-face supervised experience those in the helping professions are provided in the course of their professional career development. The program does not teach suicide risk assessment skills. Suicide risk assessment training is provided in other QPR Institute programs.
- Participants must be at least 18 years of age
- If employed by, or volunteering for, an organization, participants agree to accept all expectations and employment rules of their parent organization. The QPR Institute does not vet or otherwise qualify students for this course.
The Training Program
Modularized in a rich mix of text, video, voice-over PowerPoint™ lectures, interactive practice sessions, and other state-of-the-art interactive and e-learning technologies, the QPR for EMS/Firefighters online training program provides a certificate of course completion.
Basic, Level I QPR Gatekeeper Training for Suicide Prevention requires 2 hours of training, after which one certificate is issued when the quiz is passed. This course is embedded in the larger QPR for EMS/Firefighter Certificate in Suicide Prevention. The full course requires 3 hours of training and passing a final exam. If the learner passes this national exam he or she will have demonstrated more knowledge about suicide and its prevention than a large majority of mental health professionals.
Participants completing this course should be able to:
- Understand basic myths and facts about suicide
- Recognize someone at risk of suicide
- Demonstrate increased knowledge about suicide and its causes
- Identify unique verbal, behavioral, and situational suicide warning signs
- Know how to inquire about suicidal intent and desire
- Know how to engage and assist a suicidal colleague or co-worker
- Apply QPR with potentially suicidal people
- Know what to say to people who have attempted suicide and to the loved ones left behind by a completed suicide
- Demonstrate QPR intervention skills
- Describe suicide as a major public health problem.
- Identify at least three suicide warning signs
- Identify at least three risk factors for suicide
- Name at least three protective factors against suicide
- Understand the nature of suicide and describe at least one theory of suicidal behavior
- Demonstrate basic helping skills following suicide attempts or completions
Pricing
NOTE: If you intend to purchase more than one course, please contact Kathryn White at (888) 726-7926 or at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Individual certificate pricing:
| Certificate of Course Completion (3 hours) | Pricing |
|---|---|
|
Per person |
$59.00 |
|
10+ |
$49.00 |
Thank you for helping to prevent suicide.
Testimonials for this course
What EMS/Firefighters say about this training
Benefits and recommendations
“You need to take this training, it is an eye opener. It helped me greatly.”
“Absolutely take it..........I will not only take this training but am taking the train the trainer QPR course. I plan to teach this to Law Enforcement, Dispatchers that do 911, Victim Advocates with my organization and fire and EMS responders.”
“Taught me how to talk to someone thinking about suicide or who has attempted suicide, and dealing with family and friends. Over my life time I have had 4 people close to me commit suicide or attempt suicide; the course has opened my eyes to what I had been going through myself and how I should have dealt with the individuals involved in those attempts.”