MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. -- Malmstrom Air Force Base has started a new annual violence prevention training program. A training course was recently held for facilitators to further integrate Green Dot, sexual assault prevention and suicide prevention training into one interactive training block.
For the last two years Green Dot training covered Sexual Assault Prevention and Response and suicide preventions. It is being revamped into a more in-depth training called Violence Prevention.
“This new training is an Air Force-wide initiative,” said Margaret Rhodes-Fannin, 341st Missile Wing violence prevention integrator.
“We took primary prevention aspects from the SAPR and from the suicide prevention office,” said Rhodes-Fannin. “We made a new section which is violence prevention, which performs just primary prevention training and duties.”
“This integration allows the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response office and the mental health office to focus on clients instead of also trying to teach prevention,” continued Rhodes-Fannin.
Integrating the violence prevention office allows responders and health professionals to concentrate their efforts on the response and recovery aspect.
This new way forward wouldn’t be a success without the building blocks that were created by the previous training of response, prevention and awareness.
“The goal of Green Dot training was to give everyone a foundation for bystander intervention. We were only taught Green Dot for three years, now the units are going into what is called a sustainment phase,” said Rhodes-Fannin.
“What we are doing is helping folks think more in depth about how to intervene, what kind of things you can do, how to get involved and the different options to do so,” said Rhodes-Fannin.
Malmstrom’s Community Action Team chose three different training modules out of 17 listed by the Air Force, which allows us to tailor training to meet the needs of the wing.
“The idea behind interpersonal violence intervention education is if people are unaware or too afraid to identify something as an incident, the likelihood is if they don’t step forward then no one will step forward,” said Rhodes-Fannin.
“What we find is if one person starts to step forward somebody else will back them up and go with them,” added Rhodes-Fannin.
There is also what is called a “take a second-look” portion of the training that helps people recognize interpersonal violence as it is happening.
The sexual assault prevention portion of the training covers domestic violence, stalking and workplace violence.
“The nice thing we’ve done this year is to get each unit to provide at least two people who can train within their own units,” said Rhodes-Fannin.
Additionally, students can expect more participation exercises.
“There will also be an opportunity to network with other students,” said Rhodes-Fannin. “We learn by practical application, and doing so in a safe environment where people are using others as soundboards can be more effective than additional computer-based training,” said Rhodes-Fannin. “Other students’ ideas may be new and useful to those who may not have heard that kind of option before.”
“When people say and do things in a training environment, research shows people are more likely to use the skills we teach them in a real situation,” said Rhodes-Fannin. “It’s more scenario-based training as opposed to knowledge based, it’s not the same old training,” she added.