Suicide Prevention Workshops Set for First Responders

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Area Health Education Center will offer two workshops in October on dealing with suicide for first-responders.

Each year, more than 30,000 Americans take their own lives. Another 500,000 visit emergency rooms for self-inflicted injuries. Most often emergency medical technicians, firefighters and police are called as first responders to these deaths and injuries.
 
Their response can make a difference not only in the lives of friends and family of a person who attempted or died by suicide but in the larger community. 

Barry N. Feldman, director of psychiatry services in public safety and assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, will present both workshops.

The first workshop, "Suicide Intervention and Prevention: What EMTs and Firefighters Should Know," will be held Wednesday, Oct. 6, and the second, "Suicide Intervention and Prevention What Police Officers Should Know," will be Thursday, Oct. 7.

The workshops are from 9 to 3 and the cost of each is $20, which includes materials and lunch. The workshops will be held at the Berkshire Hills Country Club, 500 Benedict Road. These workshops have been approved for all levels by state Office of Emergency Management Services for five hours of continuing education.

Registration is required by Oct. 4. To register: www.berkshireahec.org, or call 413-447-2417 or toll free 866-976-2432 between 8 and 5 weekdays.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Pittsfield Signs Negotiating Rights Agreement With Suns Baseball Team

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Suns will call Wahconah Park home again. 

On Tuesday, the Parks Commission accepted a negotiating rights agreement between the city and longtime summer collegiate baseball team, the Pittsfield Suns. It solidifies that the two will work together when the historic ballpark is renovated. 

It remains in effect until the end of 2027, or when a license or lease agreement is signed. Terms will be automatically extended to the end of 2028 if it appears the facility won't be complete by then. 

"It certainly looks like it lays out kind of both what the Suns and Pittsfield would like to see over the next year or so during this construction plan, to be able to work together and work exclusively with each other in this time," Commissioner Anthony DeMartino said. 

Owner Jeff Goldklang, joining virtually, said he shared those thoughts, and the team looks forward to starting negotiations. After this approval, it will need a signature from Mayor Peter Marchetti and the baseball team. 

The negotiating rights agreement recognizes the long-standing relationship between Pittsfield and the team dating back to 2012, and the Suns' ownership group's historical ties to Wahconah Park and the city dating to the 1980s. The team skipped the 2024 and 2025 seasons after the historic grandstand was deemed unsafe in 2022.  

The Suns were granted the exclusive right to negotiate in good faith with the city for a license or lease agreement where the Suns will be the primary tenant. During the terms of the agreement, the city can't negotiate or enter into an agreement with another party for leniency, licensing, or operation of Wahconah Park for professional or collegiate summer baseball. 

"The Parties acknowledge the historic and cultural importance of Wahconah park to the residents of Berkshire County and share a mutual goal of providing community access, engagement, and programming on a broad and inclusive scale," it reads. 

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