DeKalb Ambulance Service holds Domestic Violence Seminar tomorrow

DeKalb Ambulance Service holds Domestic Violence Seminar tomorrow

 

By C. Campbell, Staff Writer

cody@southerntorch.com

FORT PAYNE, Ala. — On Friday, October 21st at 9:00 am, the DeKalb Ambulance Service will be holding a free seminar about domestic violence at their Station Number 1, on Airport Road in Fort Payne.

During the seminar, those in attendance will be able to learn more about how to spot the warning signs of such abuse, while also helping give them more resources to help those who might be in danger from a situation of domestic violence.

According to Cheryl Kirby, the deputy director of DeKalb Ambulance Service, the seminar will feature two guest speakers. The first, Tonya Womack, is the executive director of Kelly’s Rainbow, a non-profit women’s shelter in Albertville, while the second is Melanie Bankhead, the supervisor of Penelope House Shelter in Mobile.

When asked, Kirby explained that this seminar was partly in response to the events of this past June, when Ashley Scott, who worked for the ambulance service, was killed by her husband as the result of a domestic dispute.

“We’re all like family here, so something like that is really devastating,” she said. In addition to the counseling that was made available to those at DeKalb Ambulance Service in the immediate aftermath of those events, Kirby sees this seminar as another way to help cope with the tragedy.

In describing the response she’s seen from those at the ambulance service about the seminar, “Everybody’s pretty happy,” she said. “It’ll help everyone improve the assistance they can provide.”

Kirby expressed the belief that, through the seminar, everyone would have the tools needed to help someone suffering from domestic violence, in order to hopefully keep events like what happened to Scott from repeating themselves.

The seminar at the DAS Station 1 on the 21st is open to the public and is free to attend. Kirby believed that the entire session would last between two and three hours. Refreshments will be available for those in attendance.