PDFRCW 43.101.515
Training program—First responder peer supporters.
(1) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the commission shall contract with an organization with expertise in peer emotional support and peer workforce development to develop and administer a 40-hour training program for first responder peer supporters. The contracting organization must have prior experience developing peer support training for first responders in the state.
(2) The contracting organization must engage in in-depth consultation with law enforcement officers, corrections officers, firefighters, emergency services dispatchers or recordkeepers, and emergency medical personnel when developing the training program, and compensate the first responders for their consultation.
(3) A portion of the training program's curriculum must be relevant to all first responder professions, and a portion must be specifically curated to address the unique needs of each first responder profession.
(4) The contracting organization must complete development of the training program and begin administering it by August 1, 2025.
(5) The contracting organization must utilize current or retired first responders as cotrainers to deliver the training program.
(6) For the purposes of this section:
(a) "First responder" has the same meaning as defined in RCW 5.60.060; and
(b) "Peer supporter" has the same meaning as defined in RCW 5.60.060.
[ 2024 c 295 s 2.]