POUGHKEEPSIE – The City of Poughkeepsie Police and Fire Departments have been given a “safety air cushion” by Mental Health America of Dutchess (MHA) that can be used to prevent unnecessary deaths. The bag, similar to those used by Hollywood stunt people, was unveiled Tuesday at the Dutchess County Emergency Response Center.
The 25-foot by 20-foot by 9-foot cushion, manufactured by J.T. Scurlock Safety Products LLC, can be set up on the ground within minutes while the Police Crisis De-escalation Unit members work to convince a person not to leap from a building in an attempt at committing suicide. The specially designed bag is constructed to safely absorb the g-force levels pursuant to data published by the US Air Force on human endurance to shock.
Members of the fire and police departments were joined by staff of MHA, the Town of Poughkeepsie Police, and the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office to receive training on the bag from the manufacturer’s representative JP Plauche, on Tuesday at the fire training facility. After some brief lessons in physics and math, the first responders set the bag up near a training tower and prepared to jump and get firsthand knowledge of the experience.
MHA CEO Andrew O’Grady said his organization purchased the safety cushion because it was unlikely that the city would provide the funding. “It was brought to my attention that there was a need for an expense that would be hard to get approval for and the City of Poughkeepsie Police felt it was really important that we have it. We have the means to help out, so we decided to do it. We do not pay taxes as a not-for-profit so any chance we can get back to the municipalities we do it.”
The City of Poughkeepsie and Dutchess County both work together with MHA to provide services such as crisis intervention, the Poughkeepsie Police B.E.A.T. program, and other services designed to help those in need.
County Executive Marc Molinaro lauded the latest MHA initiative, saying “We will do all we can to aid and assist those living with mental health concerns and MHA of Dutchess is a great partner. Their commitment and assistance is helping save lives. Giving our first responders the tools they need makes all the difference!”
City Police Lieutenant Sean McCarthy heads the department’s Crisis De-escalation Unit and was one of the first to take a leap on Tuesday. “Our department is always in the forefront when it comes to adding services that protect the community. We’re grateful to MHA Dutchess for giving us another tool in our arsenal to help people who are in stress. We’re also grateful to our Poughkeepsie firefighters who are working with us in this new service.”
Video of Lieutenant Sean McCarthy testing out the new air cushion at the fire training center:
