BMC to Host Suicide Prevention Conference In Early October

08:09AM / Friday, August 29, 2025Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The 2025 annual Berkshire County Suicide Prevention Conference has been scheduled for Tuesday, Oct 7, hosted by Berkshire Medical Center, the Berkshire Coalition for Suicide Prevention, Massachusetts Department of Public Health Suicide Prevention Program, The Brien Center, Austen Riggs Center and National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Berkshire County.

The event will be held from 8 am to 4:30 pm at Tanglewood's Linde Center for Music and Learning in Lenox, and continuing education unit (CEU) applications will be submitted for social workers, licensed mental health counselors, nurses, licensed alcohol and drug counselors and psychologists. Up to 6.5 CEUs will be available.

The theme of this year's event is Turning Awareness into Action: Community Tools and Resources for Suicide Prevention, featuring a keynote panel with panelists from Volunteers in Medicine (ViM) Berkshires, Berkshire Coalition for Suicide Prevention (BCSP), Berkshire Pride, 18 Degrees, Community Access to the Arts (CATA), Love of T, and NAMI Berkshire County.

Sessions throughout the day will include:

Local, state & national trends and populations at risk
How to access local resources – keynote panel
Firearms & counseling on access to lethal means
Safety planning & risk assessment
Engaging clinical tools & resources

Early -bird price for participants earning CEUs is $70 and is available until Sept. 1. After that date, the cost for registration and CEUs is $85. Registration with no CEU credit is $20 for early bird before Sept. 1 and $35 thereafter. To register and view the full conference agenda and presenter bios, visit BIT.LY/BCSPCONFERENCE25. Registration deadline is Tuesday, Sept.30.

Tags: BHS, BMC,

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Dalton Fire District Seeks State OK for Permanent Chief

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
03:26PM / Wednesday, March 11, 2026

DALTON, Mass. — The Fire District is considering interim Fire Chief Christopher Francis Cachat for the permanent chief position, pending required state approval.

Cachat has been serving as chief since January 2025, with the duties being split between himself, Administrative Deputy Chief Charlotte Crane, and Capt. Dennis Tinker.

However, one challenge to making his appointment permanent is that Cachat is older than 65, the mandatory retirement age for firefighters in Massachusetts.

In 1987, the state eliminated the maximum age and mandatory retirement requirements for most public employees, but firefighters were exempt from this ruling.

The law requires the personnel administrator to study whether a firefighter can serve past the mandatory retirement age, considering job risks, physical demands, and the costs of injuries for older personnel.

Towns and cities can seek a home-rule petition from the state Legislature and governor to allow an individual to continue serving in a position past the age of 65, and the Fire District is in the process of doing just that.

State Rep. Leigh Davis filed a home-rule bill last March on the district's behalf to allow Cachat, who has been with the department for four decades, to continue serving until age 70, provided he remains physically and mentally capable of fulfilling the role’s duties.

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